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NOTES 



NOTES 



m it * 



TAKEN 



IN THE YEARS 1822-3. 



WITH 



AN ITINERARY OF THE ROUTE 



CARACAS TO BOGOTA 



AN APPENDIX. 



- /Wks/Lf* l\'< dtv*^* /v&^-Aje-^ 



BY AN OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES' ARMY 




H. C. CAREY & I. LEA— CHESNUT STREET. 
18S7c 



EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, to wit: 

BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the fourth day of De- 
(L. S.) cember, in the fifty -first year of the Independence of the 
United States of America, A. D. 1826, H. C. Caret & I. 
Lea, of the said District, have deposited in this Office the Title of a 
Book, the right whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the words follow- 
ing-, to wit: 

"Notes on Colombia, taken in the years 1822-3. With an Itinerary 
" of the Route from Caracas to Bogota; and an Appendix. By an Offi- 
"cer of the United States' Army." 

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, en- 
tituled, " An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the 
copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of 
such copies, during the times therein mentioned," and also to the Act, 
entitled, " An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled, ' An Act for the 
encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and 
books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times 
therein mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of 
designing, engraving', and etching historical and other prints." 

D. CALDWELL, 

Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 



SKERRETT NINTH STREET S 

PHILADELPHIA. 



/ 



PREFACE. 



The arrangement of the following Notes, com- 
menced to beguile some tedious hours, and to com- 
ply with the wishes of a brother, was continued and 
drawn to a conclusion by the stimulus of frequent 
gratifying inquiries from another quarter, with re- 
gard to its progress. 

I have consulted the books within my reach. 
From Humboldt I have drawn descriptions and 
physical results : from Depons, some historical data 
and economic details. If I do not indicate with 
more precision, the portions due to each, it is be- 
cause their works are no longer in my possession, 
and I cannot make the references from memory 
with exactness. 

In candour it should be stated, that my informa- 
tion has not always been derived from sources com- 
pletely satisfactory even to myself. The names of 
places on the Magdalena, for instance, obtained 
from the pilot of our canoe, may not always be cor- 
rectly given. Yet, whatever has been stated as 
coming under my personal observation, is the result 
of impressions, formed hastily it is true, but formed 



VI PREFACE. 

on the spot ; and the reflections are those which 
naturally suggested themselves. 

If it be asked, why, after riding posthaste through 
a country, and enjoying so few advantages, I have 
ventured to pursue a track trodden by a Humboldt, 
my presumption may appear less, when it is consi- 
dered, that each traveller sees with different eyes — 
is attracted by different objects, and collects different 
materials. After the harvestman has passed over 
the field to minister to the palates of the more re- 
finr >', the gleaner is still allowed to cater for those, 
whose appetites may retain a relish for more homely 
fare. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Page, 

Voyage— -La Guayra — Yellow Fever— Commercial regu- 
lations. 9 

CHAPTER II. 

Road from La Guayra to Caracas — Earthquakes— Sym- 
pathy of the United States. . . . . 30 

CHAPTER III. 

The Host — Visits — Rosario — Priests — Party of pleasure 
—St. Simon's Day — Ball— Dinner party — Inscrip- 
tions — Morning ride — Mr. Blandin — Coffee planta- 
tion 42 

CHAPTER IV. 

Colombia — Territorial divisions — Historical sketch- 
Valley of Caracas — Silla — Captain-generalship. . 63 

CHAPTER V. 

City of Caracas — Pavements — Plazas — Cathedral — Mar- 
ket — Costume — Provisions — Manufactures — Society 
— Merchants — Siesta — Theatre— Nobility — Ladies 
— Servants. .79 

CHAPTER VI. 

General descriptions — Cities, towns, and villages — 
Churches— Private houses. . . . . 103 

CHAPTER VII. 

Journey — Departure from Caracas — San-Pedro— Victo- 
ria — San-Mateo — Bolivar — Sugar plantation — Ma- 
racay — Valencia — Lake Tacarigua.— -Peasantry— • 
Aguas Calientes. . . . ."'■■-. . .115 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Page- 

Leave Valencia— -- Carabobo—- General Paez— -Barqui- 
semeto— Colonel Manreky — Tocuyo— Agua Obispos 
— Santa- Ana — Truxillo. . . . . .142 

CHAPTER IX. 

Leave Truxillo— Farm-house — Valeria — Mendoza — Ti- 
mothes — Fiesta of Independence — Paramo — Merida. 168 

CHAPTER X. 

Leave Merida — San-Juan — Military escort — Bridge- 
Mountains — Dangerous road — Estanques — Cacao- 
tree — Besoin de Societe— Bailadores — Tobacco— Mo- 
nopolies — La Grita — Paramo — Tariba — Cucuta. . 182 

CHAPTER XL 

Leave Cucuta— Hacienda — Pamplona— -Chitaga — Re- 
ligious procession — Capitanejo — Suata — -Susacon — 
Santa-Rosa — Paypa — Tunja — Arrival at Bogota- 
Itinerary ........ 205 

CHAPTER XII. 

Valley of Bogota — City — Cathedral — Convent San-Fran- 
cisco — Private houses — Bolivar's Quinta — Carnival 
■ — Dinner-parties — Lake Guatavita— Tequendama — 
Religious ceremonies. . . . * . • . 223 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Journey-— Departure from Bogota — Facatativa— Villeta 
— Guaduas— Colonel Acosta — Honda. . . . 243 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Navigation of the Magdalena. . . » . £51 

CHAPTER XV. 

Journey to Carthagena — Leave Barancas — Amatis — Tur- 
baco — Itinerary — Arrival— Carthagena. . . 271 

Appendix A. . . . . ' • . . • 281 

Appendix B. . . . ... . . 301 

Appendix C. . . .. ' . • . . .302 



&OTES ON COLOMBIA 



CHAPTER, L 

Voyage— la guayra — yellow fever-^-commercial 
regulations. 

THE opportunity of accompanying a citizen of 
the United States, whose devotion to the cause of 
South American Independence had been rewarded 
by a vote of thanks, and the epithet benemerito? 
bestowed by the Colombian congress, was gladly 
embraced by the writer of the following notes. In- 
dependently of an ardent desire to visit foreign 
countries, to extend his sphere of observation, to 
travel down his prejudices, and multiply his exist- 
ence, by placing himself in new situations- — motives 
common to all travellers ; his ulterior views point- 
ed to professional employment, The cause in which 
he proposed to engage was not less holy than that 
which fifty years ago called forth the exertions of 
his forefathers; and the theatre was equally domes- 
tic, since the struggle was for the soil and inde- 
pendence of America,, But it was soon perceived^ 
that the war was drawing too near its close to jus- 
tify a stranger in entering upon a new career. Thfi 



10 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Colombians, besides, had become so confident as to 
the result of the conflict, as no longer to seek for 
or desire foreign aid; and the composition of the 
army, and the state of its moral, rendered such em- 
ployment very little to be desired. 

The advantages of friendly intercourse with the 
officers of government and influential citizens, in the 
course of his journey, were afforded through the 
connexion above alluded to: the demonstrations of 
respect by the public authorities have* no personal 
reference to the writer, an unknown individual; but 
were the outpourings of grateful feelings, towards 
the chief of the party, whose exertions in favour of 
their country prompted the people to this expres- 
sion of their regard. 

1822, October 2d. The gallant ship on which we 
embarked this day at noon, was destined for the 
service of Colombia. A fair wind soon wafted her 
proudly through the narrows of the harbour of New 
York; but on approaching Sandy Hook, a necessary 
alteration in her course, to follow the windings of the 
channel, drew the wind rather scant. The pilot, 
whose eyes were alternately glancing at the tremu- 
lous, close-hauled sails, or rivetted on the waste of 
waters which he appeared to fathom, evinced some 
uneasiness, lest he should not be able to clear the 
bar. An exclamation of satisfaction put us at rest 
as to his success. His attention, which had been 
completely engrossed by his duties, now appeared 
equally relaxed, and he seemed to take no further 
interest in the movements, his voice had so recently 



VOYAGE. 11 

directed, when suddenly a crash arrested the atten- 
tion of all on board. The lashings of the block of 
the main brace had parted, and the huge yard swung 
round, being no longer braced to the wind. The 
pilot, vociferating twenty commands in a breath, 
sprang to the wheel, until now governed by an ex- 
perienced old sailor, brought the ship about, and 
instead of continuing on the new tack and endea- 
vouring to gain the sea, his purpose was changed 
without an instant's hesitation or delay— the ship at 
his command wore round, and in ten minutes was 
at anchor inside the Hook. I was highly gratified at 
this display of promptness and self-possession on 
the part of the pilot, and the intelligent co-opera- 
tion of the crew. Each man appeared to have a 
fixed station and a prescribed duty, which he per- 
formed without confusion. In this manoeuvre, every 
rope in the ship was either " let go or hauled," and 
the yards performed a complete revolution. 

October 3d. Weighed anchor early this morning, 
after having repaired the damage of the preceding 
evening, and stood out to sea. A fresh breeze 
brought us in a few hours to the gulf stream, when 
the motion of the ship became rather annoying to 
us landsmen. 

The indefinite expanse of the ocean, of the effect 
of which I had so often read, did not strike me as 
sublime. Our vessel was such a fine one; and so 
great was my confidence in the skill of the captain 
and the activity of the crew, and so complete my 
ignorance of the real dangers of navigation, that the 



±% NOTES ON COLOMBIA*. 

feeling of apprehension so necessary to the sublime 
never entered my mind. While gazing on the well- 
defined circle which encompassed our ship as its 
centre, I in vain endeavoured to find cause for as- 
tonishment, where it had been discovered by so 
many others, I looked with disappointment for 
some new impression, suggesting a new train of 
thought, but there was nothing of the kind. The 
sole impression was that of a beautiful ring of about 
half a mile radius, bounded by a perpendicular 
wall, admirably well adapted for a race course. 
Although disappointed in this respect, it would be 
impossible to express my admiration of the trans- 
parent, crystal-like appearance of the dark blue 
water, and its brilliant contrast with the milk white 
foam dashed from the bow, which at night appear- ■ 
ed like a mass of liquid fire, from the multitude of 
luminous insects. 

We spoke eight or ten vessels on the passage; 
at one time there were three or four in sight. These 
greetings on the highway of commerce are extremely 
agreeable in a ship of war, to the inmates of which, 
a strange sail does not call up the uncomfortable 
idea of a pirate ; but to a vessel without armament, 
a lonely voyage is much to be preferred to doubtful 
company. 

On passing near the island of Aquillia, we saw 
what at first was supposed to be a whale spouting. 
The appearance was afterwards ascertained to be 
occasioned by the surf striking against the rocks, 
under such circumstances as to throw a column of 



LA GUAYRA. IS 

water into the air at least fifty feet high. It was 
this appearance in nature which suggested to Mont- 
golfier the idea of his hydraulic ram. 

October 18th. We arrived to-day at La Gruayra, 
without any incident worthy of notice, and found 
there the United States' ship Cyane, captain Spence, 
and about twenty sail of merchantmen. On anchor- 
ing, we fired salutes, which were answered from the 
batteries on shore. 

Madam C**#, the sister of the Liberator, who, 
with her family, had been our fellow passenger, 
excused herself from going on shore with the rest 
of the company, as she had made a vow, that if 
ever she should be permitted to revisit her native 
country, from which she had been exiled nine years, 
she would land barefooted. 

The appearance on approaching La GUiayra, was 
so different from that of the low and verdant shores 
I had so lately left, as to strike me by the contrast 
in a very lively manner. The rugged outline of the 
mountains is strongly defined upon the sky ; the 
rocky and perpendicular sides of this chain, which 
skirts the whole coast of Caracas, have breasted for 
countless ages the impotent rage of the ocean; they 
appear perfectly barren, and are almost white, as if 
calcined by the powerful influence of a vertical sun* 
The Silla, (saddle,) of Caracas, ascends imme- 
diately behind the town, to the height of 8000 feet, 
and is so little removed from the shore, that it seems 
to rise immediately out of the sea. Cape Blanco, 
four miles to the west of La Gruayra, is rendered 



14} NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

prominent by its conical summit of dazzling bright- 
ness. 

Previous to 1812, M. de Humboldt ascertained 
the height of the look-out on the summit of the cape 
to be 384 feet ; but I have been assured by a gentle- 
man who resided at La Guayra in 1812, that it sunk 
from sixty to eighty feet, during the convulsion of 
the 26th of March of that year, which laid the capi- 
tal, and two-thirds of the towns of Venezuela in 
ruins. Should any future admeasurement of this 
height, give a less elevation than that assigned to it 
by M. de Humboldt, it will no doubt be attributed 
to the proper cause, a freak of nature; whose ope- 
rations are less invariable than the results of the 
philosophical observations of the "first of travel- 
lers." 

The rocky sides of this chain are finely contrast- 
ed with the narrow strip of cultivated land at its 
base, in which the beautiful cocoa-bearing palm is 
most conspicuous, proclaiming at once, if other evi- 
dences were wanting, the region of the tropics. 

Euilt upon this narrow belt, the town of La 
Guayra is confined by rocks almost inaccessible in 
its rear, upon which, battery above battery are seen 
towering to a height, adding more to its picturesque 
appearance than defence ; and in front is hemmed 
in by a strong line of well-constructed water batte- 
ries, the base of which is washed by the surf. 

The road-stead is an open one, exposed to cur- 
rents, destructive storms, a drifting of the sand 
which buries the anchor, rendering it necessary to 



LA GUAYRA. 15 

weigh every eight or ten days; open to all the pre- 
valent winds, and a heavy surf, which is most dan- 
gerous in a calm. This was the case in 1823, when 
seventeen or eighteen vessels were dashed upon the 
rocks. The United States 7 frigate Congress, only 
escaped the same fate, through the skill and unex- 
ampled exertions of her officers and crew. Reduced 
to her last anchor, she had ridden out the swell till 
morning, when she was seen by the anxious spec- 
tators on the shore, to yield occasionally to the hea- 
vier waves. This was owing to a judicious discre- 
tion in paying out cable. To the very circumstance 
which excited most apprehension on shore, the ship 
was probably indebted for her safety. She escaped 
with the loss of two anchors, and two or three men, 
who had been sent to afford assistance to the other 
vessels. In addition to these dangers and inconve- 
niences, the depth of water does not exceed eight 
fathoms, at the distance of one mile from the shore. 
There is, besides, no mole or wharf; all goods must 
be landed and embarked in boats, in a surf that 
never completely subsides, exposing the merchan- 
dise to loss or damage. 

The moment a boat approaches the shore with 
passengers and baggage, fifteen or twenty negroes, 
and men of various casts, having no other covering 
than a pair of drawers, a dress, or rather undress, 
well adapted to display their remarkable muscular 
developments, and symmetry of proportions, rush 
into the sea up to their waists, to meet the boat. 
Each seizes something proportioned to his strength: 



16 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

men and trunks are indiscriminately raised upon 
their brawny shoulders, and are carried through 
the surf to the shore. As this is done in the twink- 
ling of an eye, without consent asked or granted, 
you are somewhat surprised, on being pitched down 
upon the beach, as well at the want of ceremony of 
your new hosts, as at the appearance of Agrarian 
law, which you would be inclined to suppose exist- 
ed, from seeing your effects instantly divided among 
the surrounding crowd ; for it seems to be an esta- 
blished principle, that each is to carry but one par- 
cel, however small it may be, the lighter articles 
beiug pounced upon by the boys, who are neither 
less adventurous than the men for the safety of your 
baggage, nor less clamorous in their demands for 
the service they have forced you to accept. As the 
arrival of a vessel excites considerable interest, and 
attracts many people to the landing, you find no 
difficulty in obtaining the information you may re- 
quire. A European is easily distinguished ; he 
greets you as a countryman, a countryman receives 
you as a brother, and both are prompt to offer their 
assistance. 

On entering the custom-house gate, you are 
ushered at once into a motley crowd, in a wide part 
of the main street, appropriated as a market. The 
scanty covering of those engaged in this busy 
throng; the disproportionately large number of wo- 
men of the lower class ; the various casts ; the dis- 
gusting cripples ; the bare-footed soldiers ; and the 
petticoated priests, first arrest attention. The fruits 



LA GUAYRA. 17 

and vegetables are sold by women squatting in rows 
on the stone pavement, each having her little store 
displayed before her. The meats are protected 
from the sun by a shed. Not far removed, the 
countrymen stand near their mules or asses, laden 
with coffee, hides, dye-woods, corn, rice, cacao, 
faggots, or charcoal, in large panniers, for the 
kitchen, and various other articles, ready to offer 
to purchasers. 

October 19th. Took up my quarters in a hotel 
kept by a Baltimoreau. I here first experienced 
the total want of comfort of a Spanish house. Se- 
veral cots, placed in the sleeping apartments, con- 
stituted the only furniture. The barred windows, 
the absence of privacy, (hangings of chintz or calico 
being substituted for doors,) the tiled floors, with 
swarms of fleas, are the greatest annoyances. The 
dining-room, extending along the whole front of 
the house, and furnished with a balcony overlook- 
ing the batteries, which commanded a view of the 
sea, was extremely pleasant. In this room was 
served to about thirty persons, chiefly foreigners, 
an excellent breakfast, a la fourchette, about 10 
o'clock; at which, besides meats, coffee, and choco- 
late, were a number of fruits, almost all new to me, 
and very good claret, each person being furnished 
with his bottle. 

The dinner, differing very little from the break- 
fast, except in the greater abundance of substan- 
tial, and the addition of vegetables, soup, and a 
variety of wines, was served about 5 o'clock 5 the 

3 



18 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

concluding cup of coffee finished the eating for the 
day, suppers in so hot a climate being considered 
unwholesome, as well as inimical to tranquil sleep, 
so difficult to be obtained, on account of the oppres- 
sive heat and other " disturbing influences." Be- 
sides the square court into which the chambers look- 
ed, another in the rear, partially covered by a shed, 
contained the kitchen, stables, and offices, without 
any division by partitions. The fastidious would 
do well to avoid passing through this court before 
dinner. Employed this day in wandering through 
the streets, batteries, and ruins of the town. Mul- 
titudes of green lizards, from two to five inches long, 
are apt to startle you at first, as they dart across 
your path at every step. A few days are sufficient, 
however, to render them familiar ; they are perfectly 
harmless. During my rambles, I was attracted by 
a crowd witnessing the antics of a tumbler, dressed 
like Harlequin, who took this public method of 
giving a sample of his talents ; at the same time ad- 
vertising the inhabitants that he would give an ex- 
hibition at some stated place in the evening. 

The soldiers on post and wandering through the 
town, struck me by the variety of their complexions, 
and their want of shoes. Their uniform is a linen 
coatee with blue cuffs and collars, linen trowsers, 
and leather cap trimmed with muslin. Cripples 
and beggars are met with at every corner, basking 
in the sun, displaying their deformities to excite 
compassion. Most of these deformities are the re- 
sult of want of cleanliness, and inattention to extract- 



LA GUAYRA. 19 

ing the egg9, deposited under the skin by an insect 
called chigre or niguas. 

October 20th. Dined with the American consul 
at Maiquitia, a small village about half a mile west 
of La Gruayra, with captain S***, and other 
Americans. In the evening, I was attracted by 
some delightful music on the harp. I crossed the 
street, and standing near the door of a hut for a 
few minutes received an invitation to enter. The 
inmates, a negro and a mulatto woman, welcomed 
me with politeness, and without the least embar- 
rassment handed me the only chair the cabin con- 
tained. Some beautiful airs were played; among 
others a cotillion I was acquainted with. A young 
man and woman shortly after came in, and danced 
very gracefully and with much spirit a coquettish 
dance, in which the swain appeared to sue for fa- 
vour; while the haughty lass rejected his attentions, 
till tired out by her neglect he pouted in turn. The 
lady then became the suitress, and endeavoured 
to mollify the anger of her lover; a reconciliation 
then takes place, and the parties join hands. Two 
little barefooted children then waltzed very prettily. 

La Guayra is situated in 10® 36' 19 " north lati- 
tude, and 9° 55' east longitude from Washington. 
It contains at present about four thousand five hun- 
dred inhabitants; having suffered since 1810, equally 
with the neighbouring towns, the united effects of 
earthquakes, famine, pestilence, and an extermi- 
nating war of twelve years' duration. 



SO NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

The mean temperature of the year is 8S° Fahr 
Do. Hot season - - 84*° 
Do. Cold season - - 74° 
Maximum - - - 95° 

Minimum - - - 70° 

Rain is by no means frequent, but a small quan- 
tity falling in the course of the year. 

The location of the town is very singular. The 
chain of mountains that separates the port from the 
high valley of Caracas, descends precipitately to 
within eight hundred feet of the sea, leaving but 
that space of moderately inclined ground for the 
buildings. These are arranged in two narrow and 
irregular streets, having a general direction east and 
west, connected by others at right angles sloping 
considerably towards the sea. The whole are well 
paved, and kept tolerably clean. 

Several batteries, at different heights on the sides 
of the mountains, command the water- batteries* 
which are well built of excellent stone, and com 
pletely encompass the town. The bomb-proof case- 
mates are very capacious, sufficiently so to shelter 
a great portion of the inhabitants, in case of an at- 
tack from the sea. There are three entrances ; those 
on the eastern and western extremities of the town 
are defended by traverses, artillery, and strong 
gates, at which guards of soldiers are stationed. 
The third entrance, about mid- way between the 
other two, looks to the north. This is the custom- 
house gate, through which all merchandise landed or 
intended to be embarked must pass. The store- 



LA GUAYRA. 2i 

houses and offices connected with the revenue are 
convenient to this gate; and directly in front of it is 
the office of the American consul, the stripes wav- 
ing from its roof. These gates are closed at six 
o'clock in the evening, and remain so till the same 
hour next morning. The water-batteries, although 
well-built, and judiciously disposed, are out of re- 
pair, and at present are nearly stripped of their ar- 
tillery, not more than eight or ten pieces being 
mounted. The batteries above, however, have an 
imposing appearance; and, commanding each other, 
could be defended as long as provisioned ; but would 
be unable to prevent a maritime enemy from destroy- 
ing the town with shells. Their immense height, 
at the same time that it insures their own security, 
diminishes the efficacy of the protection they could 
afford the town. 

The front street is by far the most comfortable ; 
as from the second story of its houses you look 
immediately over the battery, and enjoy a fine view 
of the sea and vessels in the road, as well as the re- 
freshing sea-breeze. The other long street, between 
the first and the mountain, is much confined. A re- 
sidence in this part of the town, would be insup- 
portable, during the hot season, were it not for an 
elevation in the ground, which enables the sea- 
breeze to have a partial circulation. 

The houses, generally of two stories, are built 
either of stone and mortar, of bricks burnt or only 
dried in the sun, or simply of rammed earth, called 
tapia, in most cases plastered with lime, both inside 



2% NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

and out, white-washed and roofed with burnt 
earthen tiles. Those of the better order have bal- 
conies in front, projecting from the second story, 
sheltered from the sun by a continuation of the roof, 
supported by posts. 

In walking through the streets of La Guayra, the 
effects of the earthquake of the 26th of March, 1812, 
are visible at every step. Not more than one-fourth 
of the houses escaped that calamity ; one-half still 
remain in ruins. Six hundred lives were lost in 
one building, the principal church, in which the 
terrified inhabitants had collected to arrest by prayer 
and adoration, the impending catastrophe; thus has- 
tening by their blind fceal, the calamity they sought 
to avoid. Mass is now performed in an adjoining 
building, temporarily fitted up for the service of re- 
ligion. The dissonance of the cracked bells re- 
minds the inhabitants three or four times a day of 
the calamity, which reduced their town to a mass 
of ruins, and implies a reproach upon the good Ca- 
tholics, who have omitted to replace them, and have 
suffered the temples of their religion to remain 
twelve years encumbered with rubbish. But this 
neglect may be satisfactorily accounted for, by the 
continued state of war, and the situation of the town, 
exposed to be battered at any moment by an enemy 
in possession of superiority at sea. Whole squares 
are still in ruins, little having been done but to clear 
the streets of the rubbish. 

In the eastern quarter of the town fronting the 
sea, is a good hotel kept by an American from Bal- 



. LA GUAYRA. %'S 

timore. This house is supported by strangers whom 
commerce carries to the port. The habits of the 
Spaniard, his reserve in what relates to domestic 
concerns, render him averse to living in a public 
house. The few now to be found in Colombia owe 
their establishment and support to the patronage of 
foreigners. 

About half a mile from the western extremity of 
the town is the pretty village of Maiquitia, the re- 
sidence of the American consul, connected with La 
Gliayra by a road along the beach. This spot en- 
joys a free circulation of air; and as the mountain 
here retires somewhat from the shore, the space 
capable of cultivation, or which may be appro- 
priated to buildings is much enlarged. Here also 
are groves of palms, which yield a pleasant shade, 
and are more grateful to the eye than the glare of 
the sun from the white walls of the town. But the 
greatest advantage this situation enjoys, is an ex- 
emption from the effects of the radiant heat from the 
mountains. The heat given out in this way during 
the night, is nearly as oppressive as the direct in- 
fluence of the sun during the day. Our consul, in 
conjunction with another American, has purchased 
some land here, and after the custom of his coun- 
trymen, has laid it out in streets and building lots. 
A few years after the country shall have become 
tranquil, will probably see this a flourishing place, 
rivalling La Guayra; as natural obstacles present 
an insuperable barrier to any further increase in the 
plan of that town. 



S4 NOTES ON COLOMBIA . 

It is only in the present year that Mr. Lowry* 
has received the less equivocal appointment of con- 
sul, which, at the same time that it renders him 
more respectable in the eyes of the people of La 
Guayra, and of foreign merchants, will enable him 
to become still more extensively useful to his com= 
mercial countrymen. 

La Guayra is supplied with water by a rivulet, 
the source of which is on the mountain at a distance 
of six miles from the sea. This stream, although am- 
ple for the supply of the town, is warm and not 
very agreeable to the taste. This quality is proba- 
bly acquired in passing over beds of sarsaparilla, 
which are said to impart to it a medicinal virtue. 

Previous to the opening the port in 1797? the yel- 
low fever was unknown in La Guayra. Its intro- 
duction is attributed to a brig from Philadelphia, 
on board of which the disease first made its appear- 
ance, and was thence communicated to the hospi- 
tals and town. The inhabitants insisted that the 
disease had been imported. The captain of the ves- 
sel as positively asserted, that, so far from having 
introduced the malady, his sailors had caught it in 
port. Opinions were at once divided between do- 
mestic origin and importation. The discussion per- 
haps would have been carried on with as much 
heat as it has been since in some of our cities, had 

* Mr. Lowry was the first commercial agent of the United 
States to the Spanish Main. He resided at La Guayra with 
occasional absences, rendered necessary by political events, 
from 1810 till 1825, when he fell a victim to the climate. 



YELLOW FEVER. &5 

not the thermometer incessantly urged the propriety 
of keeping cool. The adverse arguments were equal- 
ly satisfactory. One side says — a disease is unknown 
among us till foreign vessels enter our port; it im- 
mediately makes its appearance, it is therefore im- 
ported. The other insists, that the vessel left a 
healthful place, that the crew enjoyed perfect health 
during the voyage, and until they* entered the port; 
the irresistible conclusion is, that the complaint ex- 
isted and was contracted there. An indifferent per- 
son would probably be of opinion, that each party 
contributed its assistance; and that the disease owed 
its origin to both foreign and domestic causes, without 
the co-operation of which it would not have been gene- 
rated. An inhabitant of a northern climate, whose 
peculiar habit of body is such as to ensure exemp- 
tion from disease, only so long as he remains in an 
atmosphere and temperature congenial to him, is 
suddenly transferred to the torrid zone. A new 
form of disease is the consequence, produced by the 
operation of deleterious influences upon a subject 
predisposed to their effects. 

The yellow fever, however, scarcely ever passes 
the ridge of mountains, four thousand eight hun- 
dred and fifty feet high, which divides Caracas 
from its port. 

66 The first commercial regulation was obtained 
in 1560. By it, a vessel was permitted to be sent 
annually to the port of Borburata, afterwards 
changed for that of La Guayra. During the whole 
of the sixteenth century, agriculture was almost 

4 



26 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

wholly neglected, under the expectation of disco- 
vering mines. The want of success in this, was 
the cause of the glaring neglect, this portion of Ame 
rica experienced from Spain; the whole attention 
being directed to Mexico and Peru, countries more 
abundant in mineral wealth. 

In 1634, the Dutch seized upon the Island of Cu- 
racoa, and by making it a commercial emporium, 
stimulated their neighbours on the Main, to draw 
from the surface of their inexhaustible soil, those 
advantages which seemed to be denied in its 
bowels, by an exchange of their surplus productions 
for those of Europe. They first attached themselves 
to the culture of cacao, which with hides, for a long 
time, constituted their commercial barter. 

This contraband with the Dutch being unshack- 
led, entirely destroyed the commerce with Spain* 
The company of Gaipuscoa was then established 
to trade with Venezuela, upon the condition of de- 
stroying this contraband. This succeeded to the 
advantage of the company and Spain, and to the 
satisfaction of tlie colonists till 1742, when the com- 
pany having obtained a monopoly from the king, 
the colonists wisely took the alarm, and the tran- 
quillity of the province was on the eve of being dis- 
turbed, when a modification of the company's char- 
ter, admitted a board to be formed, composed one- 
half of cultivators, the other of the members of the 
company, to decide on the price of cacao, the prin- 
cipal article. By these means, the quantity was in- 
creased, and other productions, hides and tobacco, 
were added. 



COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS. 27 

The company soon engaged in the contraband, 
which they had been created to destroy. The abuse 
becoming glaring, in 1778? the regulation called of 
free commerce, was put in execution. By this, 
Spaniards who should build a vessel of a certain 
tonnage, to be manned by Spanish subjects, obtain- 
ed the privilege of trading with the colonies, and four- 
teen or fifteen ports were opened in the Peninsula 
and the Canaries, and seven on the Spanish Main. 

La Gruayra was first opened to neutrals general- 
ly, by an order of the 18th November, 1797 '■ but 
the clamour raised by the merchants of the mother 
country, induced the king, by an order of the 13th 
of February, 1800, to revoke, not only the order 
previously given, but also, every other permission, 
general or particular, granted either by himself, or 
by the governors, viceroys or intendants of Ame- 
rica. Thus after enjoying a free commerce for. more 
than two years, it was closed on the solicitations, 
and for the advantage of a few interested mer- 
chants. 

This state of legal interdiction continued till the 
20th of May, 1801, when the captain general of 
Caracas opened the port for the residue of the 
year, or till the return of peace, should that event 
sooner take place, with a view to diminish the con- 
traband trade, which had been actively carried on 
by the Dutch, but more particularly by the English, 
notwithstanding the war in which the two nations 
were engaged. The Spaniards having no neutral 
or friendly colony, to which they could legally re- 



28 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

sort, except Gaudaloupe, (the Dutch, Danish, and 
Swedish possessions being occupied by the Eng- 
lish,) it became necessary that all vessels going to 
Jamaica, Cura§oa or Trinidad, should clear out for 
Gaudaloupe. Hence the custom-house registers of 
the Spanish ports, exhibited evidences of an active 
and important commerce between the Main and 
Gaudaloupe; while those of the latter made no men- 
tion of any arrivals from the former. The vessels 
thus engaged, so far from being considered prizes, 
received on the contrary, passports from the Eng- 
lish admirals, and were even convoyed by British 
cruisers. 

Thus it was in time of actual war, that England 
laid the foundation of her extensive commerce with 
the Spanish Main, and that Jamaica became the 
emporium to which nearly all its productions are 
exported, and from which nearly all its wants are 
supplied."* 

At the present time, the commerce between Ja- 
maica and the single port of Carthagena employs 
ten or twelve vessels, which are monthly convoyed 
back and forward by English cruisers, maintained 
by government for that especial purpose.f 

* Extracted from Depons. 

t For the present commercial regulations of the Republic 
of Colombia, see Mr. Anderson's Report to the Secretary of 
State, Appendix A. ; and for a return of the exports from La 
Guayra during the year 1824, Appendix Bo 



COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS, 29 

Revenue of the port of La Guayra from the 1st January to 
31st October, 1823, from official returns. 

Import duties - - - - g 515,609 06| 

Export do. .... 153,101 43| 

Tonnage do. - - - 5,778 43| 

Salt do. .... 4,083 18| 

Anchorage do. - - - - 414 00 

Prizes do. ... - 105,552 37 i 

Military Hospital do. - - 6,038 06| 

8 790,576 561 



CHAPTER II. 

ROAD PROM LA GUAYRA TO CARACAS — EARTHQUAKES, 

October 21. Accompanied by some friends, who 
had rendezvoused at Mr. Lowry's house for that 
purpose, we mounted our mules about 7 o'clock 
this morning, with high expectations at travelling 
the far-famed road to Caracas. Madam C***, 
more punctual to the hour appointed, had preceded 
us with a large party. We found them at La Venta, 
partaking of some refreshments, which proved 
very acceptable after our toilsome ascent. In an 
hour, the cavalcade, of from fifteen to twenty per- 
sons, continued their route, enjoying from time to 
time the most enchanting views. The saddles for 
the ladies were formed like an arm-chair, having a 
narrow board suspended by straps of leather, to 
rest the feet upon. We arrived at Caracas before 
12 o'clock, entering the town from the north, and 
passing through long, ruinous, and deserted streets. 

The extraordinary road which unites Caracas 
with its sea-port, is said by Humboldt to resemble 
those of St. Gothard and the great St. Bernard. 
This traveller determined the height of twelve 
points. From his observations it is found, that La 
Venta, (the inn,) on the mountain de Avila, at 
which passengers generally stop to rest and take 
some refreshment, is at an elevation of 3888 feet 



ROAD TO CARACAS. 31 

above the sea; from this to El Guayavo, a smaller 
inn on La Cumbre, (the summit,) is 9^2 feet, giv- 
ing 4850 feet for the latter station, which is nearly 
the highest point on the road. From El Gruayavo^ 
the way for a mile and a half, covered with moun- 
tain growth, is called, on account of its windings, 
Las Vueltas. Here the traveller first gets a view 
of the city; the descent is then rapid for 1944 feet 
to the Plaza Major, (Great Square,) which is 2906 
feet above the sea; thence, more gradual for 205 feet, 
to the Rio (riiayra, which runs through the plain, 
at the foot of the city, and is at an elevation of 2701 
feet, the general level of the high valley of Ca- 
racas. 

On leaving La Gruayra, the road passes along 
the sea beach to the village of Maiquitia ; the ascent 
then begins with an extremely steep ridge of rocks, 
passing by a station, called from the suffocating 
heat reflected by the walls of rock, Torre Quemada, 
to Ciirucuti ; here the ascent is somewhat less labo- 
rious to the Salto, (leap,) (a chasm crossed on a 
drawbridge, defended by a battery,) and as far as 
La Venta. It is more abrupt to El Guayavo, and 
the little battery La Cuchilla, at which Humboldt 
was made prisoner by a guard of artillery, and de- 
tained some time for want of a passport. The road 
then becomes more level as you thread the incessant 
windings called Las Vueltas, after which the de- 
scent begins towards the valley in which the city 
stands. Owing to the abruptness of the side of the 
mountain over which the road is made, it has been 



32 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

impracticable to carry it in a straight line, in any 
one part. The turnings, therefore, to accommodate 
it to the rugged surface of the ground, and make, 
the ascent less laborious, are incessant, short, 
and in every possible direction, rarely affording a 
view of the road for more than thirty or forty feet 
in advance. The average width may be twelve 
feet, but it is by no means uniform, sometimes ex- 
tending to twenty, at others diminishing to eight. 
It is admirably well paved, with large flat and 
rounded stones, sloping a little to the centre, and 
entirely across, to guard against the undermining 
of the rains. The sides rise perpendicularly, and 
are of schistose rock and indurated clay, in which 
the road has been sunk, presenting the appearance 
of a paved trench, the walls being, for the greater 
part of the way, much higher than a man's head as 
he sits upon his mule. There are many points, 
however, where the road, emerging from the bowels 
of the mountain, presents the finest views. The 
most sublime is that from La Venta, which is thus 
described by Humboldt : — 

" La Venta already enjoys some celebrity in Eu- 
rope and in the United States, for the beauty of its 
scenery. This spot does, indeed, wheu the clouds 
permit, present a magnificent view of the sea, and 
the neighbouring coasts. You discover an horizon 
of more than twenty-two leagues radius; the white 
and barren shore reflects a dazzling mass of light: 
you see at your feet Cape Blanco, the village of 
Maiquitia, with its cocoa-trees, La Guayra, and 



ROAD TO CARACAS. 33 

vessels that enter the port. But I found this view 
far more extraordinary, when the sky was not se- 
rene, and trains of clouds strongly illumined on 
their upper surface, seemed projected like floating 
islands on the surface of the ocean. Strata of va- 
pour, hovering at different heights, formed interme- 
diary spaces between the eye and the lower regions. 
From an illusion easily explained, they enlarge the 
scene, and render it more, solemn. Trees and 
dwellings discovered themselves from time to time, 
through the openings, which were left by the clouds 
driven on by the winds, and rolling over one an- 
other. Objects then appear at a greater depth, than 
when seen through a pure and uniformly serene air. 
On the declivity of the mountains of Mexico, at the 
same height, (between Las Trancas and Xalapa,) 
the sea is at twelve leagues distance, and the view 
of the coast is confused ; while on the road from La 
Guayra to Caracas we command the plains, (the 
tierra caliente,) as from the top of a tower. We 
may conceive the impression, which this aspect 
must have on persons, who, born in inland coun- 
tries, contemplate the sea and ships for the first time 
from this point." Humb. Per. JSTar. 

The Salto, a deep chasm, passed on a draw- 
bridge, and defended by a battery, effectually se- 
cures the safety of Caracas from attempts made by 
this avenue. Indeed, did no fortifications exist on 
this route, he must be a very unskilful enemy who 
should decide on making his approaches in this 
direction; for, setting aside the defences of La 

5 



34 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Gruayra, its unsafe road and high surf, the bar- 
renness of the country should of themselves de- 
ter him. A little to the westward of La Gruayra, 
the small bay of Catia furnishes excellent anchor- 
age for ships, from which the Quebrada (ravine) 
de Tepe, by which the valley is supposed to have 
been drained, ascends to the table land of Caracas. 
By this route, Drake penetrated to Caracas with a 
handful of men in 1594, and sacked the town, with- 
out encountering any opposition; the troops dis- 
patched to dispute his advance having proceeded 
by the ordinary route, under the persuasion that he 
could reach the capital by no other avenue. 

It is in this direction that a wagon road was com- 
menced about twenty years since; but some difficul- 
ties with the contractors suspended the work. Suc- 
ceeding events have engrossed the attention of the 
enterprising part of the community too much, to allow 
them to prosecute so extensive an improvement, in 
opposition to the influence of those engaged in the 
present mode of transportation by means of mules, 
wedded by interest and prejudice to the good olden 
way. 

Although the direct distance from the port to the 
capital is not more than six or eight miles, the 
journey is from five to six hours ascending, and 
from three to four descending, for mules carrying 
two quintals, about 250 pounds, the customary 
load ; for which, the muleteer receives one dollar 
and a half for going up, and one dollar for returning. 

Subject to this delay, and burdened with this ex- 



ROAD TO CARACAS. 35 

pense, all the produce of the fruitful valley of Ca- 
racas is brought to the sea for embarkation, and 
the commodities of Europe reach the capital. Ow- 
ing to the narrowness of the road, aud the number 
of mules employed in the transport of goods to and 
fro, it has beeo found necessary, to establish three 
days in the week for going up, aud the alternate 
ones for returning, in order to avoid embarrass- 
ments, delays, and injuries to the mules, which 
would, otherwise, inevitably take place. For, al- 
though the average width of the road may be twelve 
feet, there are many straits which do not exceed 
half that breadth, a space barely sufficient for two 
loaded mules to pass. As these animals are heed- 
lessly driven forward, in herds of from five to 
twenty, or more, by the goads and shouts of the 
muleteers, the overloaded beasts frequently acquire 
such a momentum, in the steeper passes, that they 
are obliged to blunder forward, staggering from 
side to side to preserve their equilibrium, as the 
ill-secured load swerves from its true poise; and 
are utterly unable, (however well disposed to ob- 
serve the courtesy of the road,) to avoid overturn- 
ing the opponents they may encounter, toiling up 
the steep ascent; or, at least, dismounting the packs 
of one or both, by the rude contact. Woe to the 
unfortunate wight, who, by a sudden turn in the 
road, finds himself in the midst of a herd, laden 
with hides, faggots, or some other equally yielding 
substance, unless he has had the precaution to pro- 
vide himself with eui$se$, or possesses dexterity 



36 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

enough to throw one or both legs across the mule 7 s 
mane. Even then, he is not exempt from the incon- 
venience of having his saddle stripped from under 
him, or, perhaps, is compelled to yield to the irre- 
sistible tide which carries him onward, for some 
distance, in a direction opposite to that of his route* 

After passing La Cumbre, a charming view of 
the city is presented, immediately at the foot of the 
mountain, nearly two thousand feet below, as well 
as of the luxuriant valley in which it stands, sur- 
rounded on all sides by mountains, traversed by 
four small rivers, teeming with the fruits, trees, 
and shrubs of a tropical climate, flourishing by the 
side of, and affording a rich contrast with, those of 
the temperate zones. 

The appearance of the city, approached in this 
direction, is that of a confused mass of buildings 
constructed of some red material. As you descend, 
the direction of the streets becomes apparent; the 
houses and public buildings are more distinguish- 
able; the colour changes as the whitewashed walls 
present themselves to view, and it is now perceived, 
that the red appearance was owing to the tiled roofs 
alone being presented to the eye, when first viewed 
from the height. It is deplorable to find that about 
one fifth of the city is still in ruins. These are 
chiefly in the most elevated* parts of the site upon 
which the town is built, nearest to, and in fact on, 
the spur of the mountain. In this quarter, which 
suffered most severely, little has been done but to 
disencumber the streets of the rubbish, which has 



EARTHQUAKES OF CARACAS. 87 

been thrown within the cracked and tottering walls 
of the roofless buildings. 

The earthquakes experienced in this part of the 
globe, which have been recorded, extend through 
a period of nearly two centuries. Vibrations of va- 
rious degrees of intensity were felt in 1641, 1703, 
and 1766. One more severe occurred on the 21st 
of October, 1778, at one o 7 clock at night; in com- 
memoration of which, nocturnal religious proces- 
sions were instituted at La Guayra and Caracas. 
In 1796 there was an eruption of a volcano of Gua- 
daloupe, and in 1797 Cumana and Riobamba were 
destroyed. "During the years 1800-l-S, there 
were other shocks, that of the latter year be- 
ing very violent. In 1811, Caracas experienced 
a more violent shock than any which had pre- 
ceded it, which banished the hopes of security 
the inhabitants entertained, founded on the na- 
ture of the formations and the height of their val- 
ley. From 1811 to 1813, the whole country, from 
Caracas to the valley of the Ohio, and from the 
West India Islands to the mountains of New 
Grenada, was the theatre of nearly simultaneous 
vibrations. The commencement of this period was 
marked by the appearance, on the 30th of January, 
1811, o£ the Island Sabrina, near St. Michael, one 
of the Azores, and of the earthquakes of the Island 
St. Vincent, which lasted from May 1811, till the 
same month in the succeeding year. 

The shock immediately preceding that by which 
the city was destroyed, was in the month of De- 



38 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

cember, 1811. The Caracanians, at the period of 
the great catastrophe, were ignorant of the earth- 
quakes of the Island St. Vincent, as well as of 
the shocks of the 7th and 8th of February, 1812, 
which kept the basin of the Mississippi in a con- 
tinual state of oscillation. 

For five months previous to the 26th of March, 
1812, the province of Venezuela had suffered ex- 
tremely from drought. Not a drop of rain had fal- 
len during that time, within ninety leagues of Ca- 
racas. The weather of that day was oppressively 
hot, the air, calm and cloudless. It was the last 
Thursday in lent, and a great portion of the inha- 
bitants were collected in the churches. At 7 mi- 
nutes past 4 P. M. the first shock was perceived, 
which lasted five or six seconds, and was suffi- 
ciently strong to shake the church bells. It was 
followed immediately by another, which continued 
ten or twelve seconds, and seemed to agitate the 
ground like a liquid. The danger was now sup- 
posed to be passed, when a horrible subterranean 
sound, resembling the loudest thunder, but more 
prolonged, was heard : this sound was followed by 
a perpendicular movement of three or four seconds, 
succeeded by vibrations from north to south, and 
from east to west, of longer duration. The upward 
movement, and that in opposite directions, were 
irresistible ; nine-tenths of the city were instantly 
reduced to a mass of ruins. Three or four thou 
sand persons, assembled in the churches to form a 
procession, perished by the falling of the vaulted 



EARTHQUAKES OF CARACAS. 39 

roofs. A regiment, under arms at the barrack San- 
Carlos, ready to join in the ceremonies, was buried 
under the walls of that fine edifice. Between nine 
and ten thousand persons were instantly killed, and 
the number of wounded, who died in one or two 
months, for want of proper attendance and nourish- 
ment, was very great. A mass of rubbish only six 
feet high, was all that remained of the Trinity and 
Alta Gratia, two fine churches, which rose to an 
elevation of one hundred and fifty feet. The cathe- 
dral, supported by enormous buttresses, remained 
standing. 

The effects of this shock were experienced as 
far as Merida and Bogota, on the banks of the 
Magdalena, and the Sierra of Santa-Marta, many 
of the intervening towns being either totally or 
partially destroyed. The number of lives lost in 
the province of Venezuela alone, was estimated at 
20,000. The vibrations ceased in fifteen or eighteen 
hours; but on the S8th, they recommenced with 
loud subterranean noises, and fifteen shocks were 
frequently felt in a day. 

On the 5th of April, a shock nearly as strong as 
that which destroyed the city, was experienced ; 
the ground for several hours continued to have an 
undulatory movement, and immense masses of rocks 
were detached from the mountains. This appears 
to have been the last throe ; the soil now became 
fixed, and the fears of the inhabitants were begin- 
ning to subside, when, on the 30th of April, their 
terrors were awakened by a loud subterranean 



40 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

noise, which was unaccompanied, however, by any 
perceptible movement of the earth. This was the 
date of the great eruption of the Island of St. Vin- 
cent. 

Since this time, slight tremblings have frequently 
been felt ; but habit has so accustomed the people 
to their recurrence, that no alarm appears to exist on 
the subject ; on the contrary, they are regarded with 
satisfaction as the prognostic of a wet and fruitful 
season. 

A scientific European, residing in Caracas, has 
invented a machine, by means of which the slight- 
est vibrations of the earth are indicated. These 
are stated by him to take place daily, but they are 
so gentle, as not to be perceptible to the senses. 
It is understood, that the register in preparation, 
of these vibrations, is destined for the scrutiniz- 
ing eye of the Baron de Humboldt, to whose de- 
ductions, founded on the comparison of multiplied, 
discriminating, and accurate observations, the world 
is so largely indebted. 

Humboldt concludes his relation of the misery 
produced by the earthquake, with the following 
grateful testimony in favour of our country and its 
government: — 

Apres le recit de tant de calamites, il est doux 
de reposer son imagination par des souvenirs con- 
solans. Lorsqu' on apprit aux Etats-Unis la grande 
catastrophe de Caracas, le Congres, assemble a 
Washington, decreta unanimement, 1 ? envoi de cinq 
navires charges de farines aux cotes de Venezuela, 



SYMPATHY OF THE UNITED STATES. 41 

pour etre distributees aux habitans les plus indi- 
gens. Un secours si genereux fut accueilli avec la 
plus vive reconnaissance ; et cet acte solennel d ? un 
peuple libre, cette marque d'interet national, dont 
la civilisation croisante de notre vieille Europe offre 
peu d'examples recens, parut un gage precieux de 
la bienveillance mutuelle, qui doit rapprocher a ja- 
mais les peuples des deux Ameriques."* 

I became acquainted subsequently in Bogota 
with the officer who was deputed to receive this 
timely offering. He reverts, on every proper oc- 
casion, to the circumstance, with a fervour, which 
proves that his gratitude has not been cooled by 
the lapse of time. 

* After the detail of so many calamities, it is pleasing to al- 
low the mind to repose upon more consolatory recollections. 
When the news of the terrible catastrophe of Caracas reach- 
ed the United States, Congress, then. in session, resolved, 
unanimously, to send five vessels, freighted with bread-stuffs, 
to the coast of Venezuela, to be distributed to the most desti- 
tute of the inhabitants. So generous a relief, was hailed with 
transports of gratitude. This solemn act of a free people j 
this evidence of national sympathy, of which the advancing 
civilization of our older Europe, affords but few recent exam- 
ples, seemed an earnest of that mutual good understanding, 
which is about to unite for ever the people of the two Ame- 
ricas. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE HOST VISITS ROSARIO PRIESTS PARTY OF PLEA- 
SURE — st. simon's day — ball — dinner party — in- 
scriptions MORNING RIDE MR. BLANDIN COFFEE 

PLANTATION. 

October 22d. Was presented this morning to the 
Intendent General Soublette at his council cham- 
ber, during the negotiation for the purchase of the 
corvette. The General, seated on an elevated chair 
of state, at a table covered with papers, was attend- 
ed by secretaries and interpreters, and surrounded 
by a brilliant military staff. His figure is very com- 
manding; his olive oval face quite prepossessing, 
and much set off by beautiful black mustachios, so 
well denned, that not a single straggling hair inter- 
rupted the symmetry of their curves. A little tuft 
is also left in the centre of the under lip, and gives 
an oriental expression to the face. His demeanour 
was at once courteous and dignified. 

In returning home after the audience, I was ac- 
costed sharply by a sentinel in attendance on the 
Host, who even advanced towards me, with his 
bayonet charged, for not uncovering my head, on 
passing a church door, from which the umbrella, 
used to shade the Host, was about to issue. I ap- 
peared not to be aware that I was the person ad- 
dressed, and passed on without receiving any in- 



THE HOST. 43 

jury. After following me some paces, the soldier., 
finding I paid no attention to his vociferations, re- 
turned to his post, swearing like a trooper, as in 
duty bound, at my want of reverence for the sym- 
bols of his holy religion. My apparent disrespect 
was caused through inadvertence ; at first I did not 
see the umbrella; and, besides, I neither knew the 
purpose for which it was. designed, nor my duties 
towards it. The circumstance was calculated to 
excite some irritation, and in this state of mind, I 
came to the conclusion, that it was a duty to dis- 
countenance ceremonies derogatory to a rational 
being, extremely inconvenient, and such as were at- 
tempted to be enforced by the bayonets of a bigotted 
and depraved soldiery ; and never after did I pay 
the least attention to them, further than by avoid- 
ing the Host, whenever it could be done without 
inconvenience. 

As this outward contempt for the prejudices of 
the people was attended with some risk, and 
calculated to draw upon me their ill-will, when I 
was so constantly in need of their good offices, it 
was, perhaps, unadvised in one in my situation, 
whose solitary example could eflFect nothing. But 
I am still of opinion that our public functionaries, 
residing in Catholic countries, should strenuously 
resist any encroachments upon their rights, as it 
regards religious opinions, both on account of the 
degradation it implies, and with a view to intro- 
duce a more tolerant feeling. That this may be 
done, by the example of men of character and con^ 



4*4 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

sideration, I have become thoroughly convinced? 
by after observation. The influence of foreigners 
in Caracas is already very discernible; that city is 
half a century in advance of the more secluded and 
less frequented capital, in which the influence of 
the priests has undergone but little diminution. 

October 23d. Paid some visits with my young 
Caracanian friend, and fellow passenger, to see his 
acquaintances, from whom he had been separated 
some years ; among others, to the house of General 
C*##, whose daughter Conchita had resided some 
years at Philadelphia, whither her father had taken 
refuge, when driven from his country by political 
events. She spoke a little English, with a most 
bewitching accent; I was extremely amused with 
her vivacity in describing to some company, what 
she had seen during her residence abroad. The 
assertion that she had seen a house three stories 
high, built of brick in a few weeks, appeared 
to stagger the belief of persons, in the habit of con- 
sidering the building of a house of even one story, 
as the work of years. But when she spoke of the 
surface of a river becoming solid, and wood-carts 
driving over it, as if upon a bridge, their politeness 
gave way in the wish to evince that they could not 
become the dupes of what they conceived to be her 
playful imposition. 

Had some conversation to-day with the English 
officers of General Soublette and General Paez's 
staff, and with Colonel It***, a real German sol- 
dier, about five feet high, thick-set, with broad 



R0SAR10. 45 

shoulders, and seamed with scars ; this officer com- 
mands a battalion on duty at Caracas. They all 
appear to have been disappointed, probably because 
their expectations had been too highly wrought. 
They stated, that out of forty officers of the English 
legion, only five had escaped the ravages of war 
and the climate. 

Since my arrival in Caracas, I have been enter- 
tained every night by a religious ceremony called 
Rosario. Lanthorns, elevated on poles, are carried 
in front of the procession by ragged negro boys ; a 
man bearing a large cross, and another an ensign 
representing the virgin, are followed by priests, a 
band of fiddlers and other instrumental musicians, 
and some male singers. The priests and assistants 
chant some Latin sentences, the music striking in 
at intervals. A collection is taken up on these oc- 
casions ; the persons before whose houses the pro- 
cession stops being more especially expected to con- 
tribute. The music is tolerably good, and the cere- 
mony somewhat imposing. These parties are at- 
tended by a guard of soldiers to enforce respect, 
who occasionally fire off their muskets, or throw 
squibs, crackers, or small rockets into the air. 

October 2^th. While paying a visit this morning 
at a house in the Plaza, and listening to some mu- 
sic on the piano from the ladies, we were called to 
the windows to witness the execution of an Indian 
for murder. The culprit was tied to a post, and 
shot by a military guard. The execution excited 
but little attention.. There were not more than 



46 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

three hundred persons present, principally women, 
which circumstance may be accounted for by the 
great disproportion of the sexes at Caracas ; it be- 
ing estimated that there are four or five women to 
one man. This disproportion is attributed to the 
exterminating war. There have been six or seven 
executions within the last half year. All culprits 
within the intendency are sent home for trial ; this, 
beside the hardship of dragging a man from the 
place in which he is known, is complained of for the 
delay it occasions. 

My next visit this morning was at Don Fran- 
cisco G*** ? s. This gentleman received me with 
the greatest politeness ; my young friend appeared 
to be a great favourite with him. I was introduced 
to his family ; his daughter, quite a large grown 
up woman, but with the manners and gaiety of a 
child, was but thirteen years old, as her father in- 
formed me, as an excuse for her gaucherie. Senor 
Gr** made me an offer of rooms in his house, and 
treated me with the warmest cordiality. In taking 
leave, he made use of an expressive gesture which 
was then new to me, that of pressing my hand 
against his heart, as if in attestation of the sincerity 
of his professions. 

October %Qth. Introduced to several Colombians. 
Dined at Dr, TVs with Colonel T***, his secretary, 
and a member of congress, on his way to Bogota, 
from whom we derived some useful information 
touching our intended journey. After dinner, a 
company of infantry passed the door, on its march 



PRIESTS. 4-7 

to Valencia. The officers were mounted, the sol- 
diers barefooted, except a few who were provided 
with a sort of sandals, called yaragaters. The 
music was good, consisting of drums and fifes, and 
two or three bugles. 

Since my sojourn at Caracas, I have been struck 
with the uniformly polite and courteous behaviour of 
the priests, who never suffer you to pass without 
removing their hats. Whether this has always 
been their practice, or whether recent events have 
convinced them of the necessity of conciliating pub- 
lic opinion, I do not know. But this civility is 
extended with so much apparent humility, and such 
a benevolent smile, that I have frequently been 
vexed at myself for inadvertently permitting these 
dignified ecclesiastics to be beforehand with me in 
this token of politeness. 

On returning from Madam C** J s this evening, 
I was embarrassed by the quien viva of a sentinel. 
It is necessary to answer Colombiano, when you 
are permitted to pass. These sentinels are posted 
from small guards stationed at the intendent's 
• quarters, and in different parts of the city ; of which 
they constitute the police. 

October 27th. After dinner visited General 
C*** ? s estate, with Madam C***, her daughter 
Conchita, and eight or ten gentlemen and ladies on 
horseback. This was a delightful ride of about 
three leagues. The whole party was admirably 
mounted, some of the gentlemen on as beauti- 
ful and spirited horses as I have ever seen. The 



48 NOTES ON COLOMBIA*. 

road, though narrow, was well paved for some dis= 
tance into the country. It was a lovely afternoon. 
As we advanced, the finest, ever varying prospects 
opened to our view. The beautiful luxuriant fo- 
liage ; the balmy fragrance of the air, perfumed by 
hedges of rose-bushes which skirted the road; the 
exercise of a brisk g Hop ; the company, — all con- 
spired to render this one of the most agreeable jaunts 
I ever enjoyed. After taking some refreshments 
with Madam C***, we again mounted to follow 
her through the domain, which she superintends 
during the absence of the General with the army, and 
visits every morning before breakfast. She point- 
ed out her flower garden, and rose-bushes ; the 
plantations of coffee, sheltered by their wide 
branching shade- trees ; the graceful plantains, 
teeming with clusters of delicious fruit ; the thriv- 
ing sugar-cane and fragrant orange groves. After 
an hour or two spent in threading the mazes of 
this earthly paradise, our party, highly delighted, 
returned to town, which they found illuminated in 
honour of Bolivar, it being the eve of St. Simon's, 
his birth- day : we rode around the Plaza, which | 
presented a very brilliant appearance. Upon a 
stage, erected for the purpose, a band of music, ac- 
companied a stentorian singer, who celebrated, in 
some twenty or thirty verses, the glory of his hero, 
each verse ending with his name. A display of fire- 
works amused the crowd till late in the evening. 

October 28th, St. Simon's Day. The ceremonies 
of the day commenced with a procession of the civil 



ST. SIMON'S DAY. 4)9 

and military officers, to witness the celebration of a 
grand mass in the Cathedral. After mass a review 
took place of some companies of uniform volunteer 
infantry, composed of the young men of the city. 
These companies may be favourably compared with 
those of our cities ; they marched in good time to 
the music of an excellent band. 

At noon, paid a visit of ceremony to General 
Soublette, as the representative of the head of the 
government. These Saints' day visits are never 
omitted. The failure of an acquaintance to pay his 
court on these occasions, is considered as an expres- 
sion of a desire to break off all social intercourse. 
Went to the public square at four o'clock, with 
heightened expectation to see a bull-fight, but was 
disappointed in the exhibition: there were about 
ten thousand persons present. Five or six bulls 
were successively turned into the arena, to be tor- 
mented by horsemen and foot. The animals, how- 
ever, appeared tame, it was difficult to goad them 
into the necessary fury for the sport. Some of the 
men on horseback displayed much skill, botli in the 
management of their horses and in throwing the bull, 
by seizing his tail and giving it a sudden jerk to 
one side. National airs were played during the 
whole time by a band of music, and salvos of artil- 
lery were fired at intervals, from a battery in one 
angle of the plaza. The houses surrounding the 
square, and those of the principal streets, were 
tastefully decorated with hangings of damask of 
the national colours, red, blue, and yellow, sus 



50 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

pended from the tops of the windows and extend- 
ing to the pavement. 

In the evening a splendid ball was given in 
honour of the occasion. The rooms were hand- 
somely decorated, the adjoining galleries brilliantly 
lighted with variegated lamps, and the square court 
or patio was filled with shrubbery, tastefully ar- 
ranged, forming a delightful promenade. The sup- 
per was very sumptuous. The music struck me as 
peculiar in its style, as well as the dancing. The 
couples arrange themselves, as if to dance an Eng- 
lish contra-dance. As the movements are upon an 
unyielding tiled floor, there is no jumping, no 
French ambition to spend half the time in the air,, 
or Yankee strife to dance the strongest ; on the con- 
trary, they use all gently. The movements, instead 
of being up and down, like a paper toy between 
two electrical disks, is lateral — the time being 
kept by a slight scrape upon the gritty pavement 
These dances appear intricate to a stranger, and 
difficult, on account of the waltzing in a very con- 
fined space, introduced at every turn. The arms 
have more employment than the feet, and are bran- 
dished by the fair Colombians with much skill and 
grace. Their a twistings and twinings" are so in- 
timate, that it requires some self-command not to be 
frightened from one's propriety. In the course of 
the evening the mirth of the company was excited 
by a lady leaving the room, sobbing because her 
husband had been too devoted in his attentions to 
some other fair one. A feeling thus shown, and on 



BALL. 51 

such an occasion, must indeed have been uncon- 
trolable. I pitied her most sincerely, but more par- 
ticularly her daughter, who followed her mother 
covered with confusion. 

General Soublette sat in state at the head of the 
room, lolling with graceful indifference, and seem- 
ed to contemplate the amusements of his subjects, 
with condescending complacency. Immediately 
behind him, seated upon an elevated bench, two 
beautiful sisters, whose plump cheeks and smooth 
brows had never been distorted by the fatigue of 
thought, amused the company by a display of phi- 
losophical indifference, in sleeping with the most 
uninterrupted serenity, during the whole of the 
noise and bustle of a crowded assembly. The 
sleeping beauties were the admiration of the room; 
never before, I will venture to say, had they at- 
tracted so much attention. The governor of the 
city was pointed out to me ; it was said that he had 
lived four years under ground to avoid the pursuits 
of his enemies. 

October 2yth. Visited the theatre this evening. 
The divisions of the boxes, are made with canes 
wattled together. The drop scene represents saints 
and angels. The play appeared to be from the 
iEnead, and was miserably enough performed. 

October SOth. Colonel T** and his secretary 
left Caracas this evening, after dinner, for Bogota- 
Joined the cavalcade of his friends, and escorted 
him about five miles, to the Marques del Toro's, 
his first stage. We remained about half an hour. 



52 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

took leave, and then returned to town, by the light 
of an unclouded moon. 

October Sist. This day employed iu rambling 
through the city, examining churches and other 
public buildings, and in paying visits. 

November 1st. Dined at % with the Marques 
del Toro, at his sister's house, with twenty or 
thirty ladies and gentlemen of Caracas. This en- 
tertainment was very sumptuous ; the most delicate 
dishes, and delicious wines, followed each other in 
endless succession. The servants, nearly as nume- 
rous as the guests, seemed bent, by incessantly 
changing the plates, on affording an opportunity of 
tasting every dish. My plate was changed twelve 
or fourteen times, often before I had an opportunity 
of tasting the delicacy it contained. There was a 
total absence of all formality ; the gentlemen fre- 
quently rose from their seats to attend to the wants 
of the ladies, or carry them, on the end of a fork, 
a delicate morsel. This little civility is usually re- 
turned in kind, and forks are seen passing in all 
directions. As this may be translated into eating 
to your health, there is a civil obligation to taste 
the morsel, however unpleasant it may be to the 
palate. Long toasts, or rather short patriotic 
speeches, are much in vogue ; the ladies appear to 
drink the toasts, and not unfrequently give a senti- 
ment, which is hailed by the company with raptur- 
ous applause. After the course consisting of pas- 
try, the company withdrew to an adjoining room, 
or walked in the corridores. In a few minutes. 



DINNER PARTY. 53 

they were summoned to a second desert, consisting 
of ices, confectionary, delicious sweet wines, and 
champaigne. 

The gentlemen easily become excited, but their 
gaiety and elevation appear more the results* of a 
buoyancy of spirits and constitutional vivacity, 
than the effects of wine, and have nothing in them 
either brutal or harsh. Mirth, good-humoured 
playfulness, and sallies of wit abound. I was 
much amused at a part of the company endeavour- 
ing to. expel a young gentleman, as a recreant bib- 
ber. They carried the joke so far, as to thrust 
him quite into the street, when they all returned 
with increased hilarity to their seats, laughing with 
unfeigned glee at the expelled member, who speedi- 
ly reinstated himself in the good graces of the com- 
pany by swallowing a bumper. How delightfully 
does the inspiration of the generous grape affect 
these mercurial beings ! How much more amiable 
do they appear on these occasions, than their more 
northern neighbours, whose orgies produce either 
riot or stupidity; with whom, instead of gaiety, 
each bumper but adds to the maudlin gravity of the 
party, as if each phlegmatic guzzler endeavoured 
to fence himself around with dignity, in proportion 
as he loses all claim to it, until dignity and digni- 
tary sink together under the table, in brutal insen- 
sibility. 

After a long sitting, during which the ladies did 
not desert us, the party ascended to the withdraw- 
ing room, or rather the boudoir of the lady of the 



54i NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

mansion. Here we admired the rich state bed, the 
elegantly, carved bedstead, and some fine hangings 
and lace, the fabrics of the country. In this apart- 
ment, coffee was placed upon a round marble table, 
in the centre of the room, at which each gentleman 
was expected to help himself, after having served 
the ladies ; a very excellent arrangement, by 
which the interruption and importunities of ser- 
vants are avoided. The servants, however, in the 
absence of employment, crowded the door-ways, 
and seemed by their smiles of approbation, neither 
less pleased with the music and waltzing which 
succeeded, nor less backward in expressing their 
delight, than the company within the room. 

The revenue of Madam del Toro is estimated at 
twenty thousand dollars, although her estates are 
much dilapidated, owing to eight or ten years' ab- 
sence of the family to which they belong. Dr. 
F*** saw this lady, a few years since, in one of 
the West India islands, in a state of the most ab- 
ject poverty. Her noble and expressive counte- 
nance is marked with the traits of patient suffering. 
She reminded me of a Roman matron, even before 
I had heard her history, or the excellence of her 
character, which is extolled by all, in the most en- 
thusiastic strains. Her daughter, recently married 
to the eldest son of Madam 0***, is a most charm- 
ing woman. I shall long remember the infantile 
playfulness she exhibited, when, endeavouring to 
waltz with her husband, another gentleman embar- 
rassed her movements, by insisting on waltzing in 



INSCRIPTIONS. 53 

trio. Nor can I easily forget that most perfect mo- 
del of beauty, not excepting the " stone ideal,' 7 La 
Sefiorita P***, and still less the provoking man- 
ner in which she adjusted sa chaussure mignonne? 
while I was attending on her at dinner. To a fragile 
form of the most delicate proportions, gracefulness, 
an expressive face, and a complexion much fairer 
than those of her countrywomen, she unites many 
accomplishments, among which is a knowledge of 
the French and English languages. 

This very delightful party broke up about 11 
o'clock, after partaking of dulces, (sweetmeats,) 
and its accompanying glass of water. The Marques 
had given this entertainment at his sister's, on ac- 
count of the ill health of his brother, who resided 
at his own. He unites great dignity to much sua- 
vity of manners ; his conversation with foreigners 
is in French, with which language he is perfectly 
familiar. >, 

November 2d. Saw some of. the adventurers this 
morning, who had embarked a few months before 
from the United States, under Irving and others, in 
an expedition to Puerto Rico. They had just been 
released from prison at Curacoa, to which place 
they went when disappointed in their undertaking. 

November 3d to 7th. In my rambles through the 
city, remarked some of the inscriptions to be found 
over the doors of almost all the houses. That upon 
the front of the mansion occupied by the Bishop of 
Caracas, is as follows : — 



56 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

MDCCXCV 

S. YGNACIO DE LOYOLA 

DOCENTE MAGISTRA RELIGEONI 

SANTA CASA DE EXERCICIOS 

This inscription, which appears to have some re- 
ference to the illustrious founder of the Jesuits, and 
is half Latin, half Spanish', I do not perfectly com- 
prehend. Others are more easily understood; they 
most commonly indicate the patron saint of the 
family. As El patron de esta casa es el dolce nom- 
bre de Jesus; or, La patrona de esta casa es la 
madre santissima de la luz. Besides these sort of 
inscriptions, almost every house has painted upon 
it, usually over the entrance, some patriotic motto: 
as, viva la republica de Colombia. This, it is un- 
derstood, was done by order of the government, 
and must be considered a very good stroke of po- 
licy, as it presented to the eye and ear of the lower 
orders, a palpable sign, which would lead them to 
reflect upon the change in the government, of which, 
else, they might scarcely be aware; gave an ap- 
pearance of unanimity, as regarded the political 
change, when this was far from being the case; 
and, perhaps, tended to fix the wavering, by thus 
forcing them to wear, though unwillingly, the co- 
lours of the republic. But it was more particularly 
useful in preventing the royalists, should they be- 
come masters of the town, from distinguishing the 
residences of their more decided opponents, which 
they would have been enabled to do, had the roy- 
alist or trimmer been permitted to indulge the bent 



MORNING RIDE, 57 

of his predilections, by omitting the " outward and 
visible sign" of republicanism. 

November 8th. Took a ride this morning, before 
sunrise, to Antimano, a distance of about five miles, 
in search of minerals noticed by Humboldt, but 
was unsuccessful. The beautiful view presented 
from the hill near Antimano, just at sunrise, afford- 
ed ample compensation for my mineralogical dis- 
appointment Dense clouds overshadowing the 
whole basin, rested upon the summits of the moun- 
tains which encompass it, a sea of vapour hung 
upon the city and valley, and between these two 
planes, the sides of the mouutains were distinctly 
visible. As the mist was dispelled or driven up- 
wards by the ascending current of air, the valley 
unfolded its beauties, in all their freshness. Luxu- 
riant foliage, and beautiful wild flowers, skirt the 
road. This growth is not presented to the eye, in 
well defined shrubs or trees ; every limb, capable 
of sustaining the weight, is draperied with vines, 
and decorated with festoons of flowers. As if the 
surface of the ground were not sufficiently extended, 
to answer the purposes of prolific nature, parasitical 
plants take root upon the branches of trees, and in 
return for the sustenance they extract, deck out 
their sturdy supporters with foreign and whimsical 
ornament. Cottages embosomed in this mass of 
foliage, line the road, each having a small garden, 
enclosed with a fencing of canes, wattled together, 
or tied with pliant vines, which answer all the pur- 
poses of cord. The market women, carrying a huge 

8 



58 .NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

burden on their heads, or goading on their grave 
looking long-eared buros, and not unfrequently 
riding a second, or mounted on the top of the well 
filled panniers, jambe depajambe dela, were jogging 
onwards to the fair. They were cleanly dressed, 
extremely robust and well made, and graceful in 
their walk. As the road approaches the river, the 
bathers are seen performing their daily ablutions — 
the women in little family parties, including the 
children, partly screened by the dense foliage, or, 
when necessary, by a bathing dress. As it is con- 
sidered extremely rude to intrude upon these par- 
ties, custom, apathy, and good manners, prevent 
the violation of propriety. 

November 10th. This afternoon, accompanied a 
party made up by the polite attention of Dr. L***, 
to visit the famous estate of Mr. Blandin, about four 
leagues from Caracas. As soon as we entered his 
grounds, we were struck with the neatness and ex- 
cellent order of the estate ; the results of the skill 
and personal superintendance of its wealthy and 
hospitable owner. Mr. Blandin has enjoyed the 
happy advantage of conciliating the respect of the 
contending parties, and without taking a part in 
political events, manages to preserve his lands un- 
touched, while so many others have had to deplore 
the devastation of their estates, by the infuriate 
malignity of their adversaries. As we rode up to 
the gate, we found the venerable proprietor ready 
to receive us, and as he stood with his head bound 
up in a snow-white handkerchief, his air and man- 



MR. BLANDIN. 59 

iier recalled to my mind the idea I had formed of 
an English country gentleman. We dismounted on 
the paved terrace, in front of the bouse, and ascend- 
ed by a handsome flight of steps to the piazza which 
surrounds the mansion. This beautiful house is 
built of wood, in such a manner as to guard against 
the effects of earthquakes. It is painted white, re- 
lieved by Venitian blinds ; some of the floors are of 
wood; the doors and windows large, admitting a 
free circulation of air. Beauty, cleanliness, and 
comfort, combine to form a dwelling which has not 
its equal in Colombia. 

After partaking of some dulces and wine, we 
went to view the grounds. Directly in front of the 
house are two vats of mason work, in which the 
coffee is dried ; in the centre of each is a trap-door 
opening into the vaults, constructed to receive the 
grain when its moisture is sufficiently expelled. A 
broad walk extends between the vats, at the foot 
of the walk, a flight of stone steps leads to a flower 
garden below, and farther on to a very pretty piece 
d'eau, which, after serving for ornament, is usefully 
employed in turning the machinery and irrigating 
the plantation. The out-houses, stores, and mill 
for separating the husk from the coffee and for 
pounding rice, are to the right, and a little in the 
rear of the principal building ; the barracks of the 
negroes being removed some hundred yards. A 
coffee plantation in Caracas resembles a fine park, 
as nothing is visible at a little distance, but the 
beautiful cotton- wood shade trees, called sombre- 



.60 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

ros, (hats,) planted to protect the coffee-plant from 
the direct and too powerful rays of the sun. These 
shade-trees attain the size of our oak in fifteen or 
sixteen years. 

In forming a plantation of coffee or cacao, it is 
usual to shade these delicate shrubs by plantains, 
which reach a sufficient height for this purpose in 
two or three years. The cotton-trees are put into 
the ground at the same time, and when large enough, 
the plantains are cut down. 

The quantity of land cultivated in coffee by Mr. 
Blandin, is from ninety to one hundred acres, which, 
it is said, yield a clear revenue of from twenty to 
twenty-five thousand dollars, with the employment 
of forty hands. According to Mr. Blandin, shade- 
trees are not necessary ; the part of his own plan- 
tation not shaded, yields as much as that which is 
furnished with sombreros. 

" The cultivation of coffee was first extensively 
introduced in the neighbourhood of Caracas about 
the year 1784, by Mr. Blandin. A nursery is 
raised from seed planted in quincunx, about six 
feet apart, the young plant is removed when about 
two feet high, with the soil attached to it, and is 
trimmed dawn to the height often inches. The soil 
of the nursery should be the same in quality as that 
upon which the plantation is projected. It is sup- 
posed to be an advantage to limit the height to 
about five or eight feet by pruning, but the trees 
are frequently suffered to attain their natural eleva- 
tion of twenty or more feet. The plant yields a 



COFFEE PLANTATION. 6i 

slender crop the second year, and is in full bearing 
the third ; each tree is estimated to produce, after 
that period, about two pounds annually. The fruit 
is picked or shaken from the tree, when it is per- 
fectly red, resembling a large cranehevry, it is then 
exposed, in vats of mason work smoothly plaster- 
ed, in the sun to dry. When nearly dry, the red 
pulpy envelope which surrounds the grain, becomes 
of a dark brownish colour, and is easily separated 
from the grain by means of rollers. After this ope- 
ration, it is again exposed to the sun, to expel the 
remaining moisture, this must be done effectually 
to prevent fermentation. The coffee is then inclosed 
in bags, such as are known in commerce. The best 
coffee is from Arabia Felix, called Moka coffee. If 
that of Caracas has not attained the second rank, 
it is owing to want of care in the harvest and sub- 
sequent preparation. Mr. Blandin's coffee always 
commands one or two cents more in the market 
from his superior care and attention to these pro- 
cesses."* 

The evening stole upon us as we were admiring 
this terrestrial paradise ; we returned to the house, 
and after taking a cup of the delightful beverage 
afforded by some of the plants we had been view- 
ing, the party was conducted into the music room, 
an apartment constructed expressly for this pur- 
pose. Here one of the ladies of Mr. Blandin's 
family sat down to an exquisitely toned piano, with 

* Depons, 



63 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

upright strings, in the form of a harp ; a gentleman 
of the party accompanied the piano on the violin* 
With these instruments and two voices, we were 
unexpectedly regaled with a concert of the most 
admired Italian and French compositions, executed 
in the most finished style. We left this hospitable 
roof late in the evening, with many wishes for the 
continued prosperity of its interesting and accom- 
plished proprietor; and returned to town, building 
castles in the air, as high and unsubstantial as the 
moon-lit clouds reposing on the summit of the Silla 



CHAPTER IV, 

COLOMBIA TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS HISTORICAL SKETCH 

VALLEY OP CARACAS — -SILLA CAPTAIN-GENERAL- 
SHIP. 

THE Republic of Colombia, composed of the 
three separate governments formerly known as the 
Captain-generalship of Caracas, the Vice-kingdom 
of New Granada, and the Intendency of Quito, and 
subsequently, as the territorial divisions, Venezuela, 
Cundinimarca, and Quito, is bounded on the north 
and north-east by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlan- 
tic Ocean ; on the south by Brazil and Peru, the 
line of demarcation extending from the mouth of the 
Orinoco, along the coast to Cape Nassau, thence 
to Esequibo, on the river of that name, to the mouth 
of the Repumunuri, thence to the chain of Tunucu- 
raque mountains, along that ridge to its intersection 
with the Sierra de Acaray; along the Sierra to the 
Paracaima mountains, by this chain to the river 
Cababuris, and by the latter to the Rio-Negro ; 
thence nearly due south to the river Yapura, by 
this stream and the Rraso de Yapura to the Ama- 
zon. The boundary then ascends the Amazon to 
the mouth of the Iavari, thence for the most part 
by ill-determined imaginary lines, nearly in a 
westerly direction to the main chain of the Andes, 
and by the Cordillera to Tumbes, in the gulph of 
Guayaquil. To the west it is bounded by the Pa= 
cific Ocean and Guatimala, or Central America, 



64 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

the division lines of the republics extending across 
the Isthmus from the Gulph of Dolce to Point Ca- 
pita. Its extent from Carita to the mouth of the QrL 
noco,from west to east, is about one thousand three 
hundred miles; and from Cape Vela to Guayaquil, 
from north to south about one thousand two hun- 
dred. According to Humboldt the Captain-general- 
ship of Caracas or Venezuela, contains forty-eight 
thousand square leagues, and the kingdom of New 
Granada, including Quito, sixty-five thousand. A 
territory about as large as the United States, east 
of the Mississippi, with an extent of sea-coast esti- 
mated at three thousand miles, containing a popu- 
lation of two million six hundred thousand. 

When the central position of Colombia is consi- 
dered in regard to our own continent, as well as to 
Europe and Asia, and the probability that ere long 
a navigable canal, connecting the oceans will be 
opened by the Atrato,* or some of the other prac- 

* The following is one of the nine points of communication 
between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, indicated as practi- 
cable by M. de Humboldt, in his essay on New Spain: — 

"In the interior of the province of Choco the ravine of 
Raspadura unites the neighbouring sources of the rivers San- 
Juan and Quito. This latter, united with the Andageda and 
the Zitara, forms the Atrato, which empties into the Gulph of 
Darien, while the San-Juan falls into the Southern Ocean. 
An enterprizing priest, curate of the village Novita, caused 
a canal to be dug in the ravine of Raspadura, by his pari- 
shioners. By means of this canal, navigable during the season 
of rains, canoes, laden with cacao, have passed from one ocean 
to the other. Here, then, is a scarcely known interior commu- 
nication, which has existed since the year 1788. The points 



TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS. 



65 



ticable routes traversing her territories. When her 
soil, productions, climate, rich mountains, fine naviga- 
ble rivers, extending like radii from the capital, and 
mingling their waters with those of three seas, are con- 
templated — the anticipation of her future riches and 
power, promoted by so many advantages, and foster- 
ed by an enlightened government, can scarcely be 
too extra vagaut. 

Division of Colombia into Departments, Provinces, and Can- 
tons, established by Congress, on the Q5th of June, 1824. 



Depart- 
ments. 


Provinces. 


Cantons. 


I. 

Maturin, formerly Orinoco, capital, 
Cumana. 


1. Cumand. 


1. Cumana. 2. Cumanacoa. 3. Aragua 
Cumanes. 4. Maturin. 5. Cariaco. 
6. Canipano 7. Rio-Caribe. 8. 
Guiria. 1 


2. Guayana, 
capital, Angostura. 


1. Angostura. 2. Rio-Negro, chief 
place, Atabapo. 3. Alto Orinoco, 
chief place, Caric&ra. 4. Caura, 
chief place, Moitaco. 5. Guayana 
Vieja. 6. Carom. 7. Upata. 8. 
La Pastora. 9. La Barceloneta. 


3. Barcelona. 


1. Barcelona. 2. Piritu. 3. Pilar. 4. 
Aragua. 5. Pao. 6. San-Diego. 


4. Margarita, 
capital, Asuncion. 


1. La Asuncion. 2. El Norte. 


II. 

Venezuela, capital, 
Caracas. 


1. Caracas. 


1. Caracas. 2. Guaira. 3. Caucagua. 
4. Rio-Chico. 5. Sabana de Ocu- 
mare. 6. La Victoria. 7. Maracay. 
8. Cura. 9. San-Sebastian. 10. Ipire. 
11. Chaguarama. 12. Calabozo. 


2. Carabobo, 
capital, Valencia. 


1. Valencia. 2. Puerto Cabello. 3. 
Nirgua. 4. San-Carlos. 5. San- 
Felipe. 6. Barquisemeto. 7. Ca- 
rora. 8. Tucuyo. 9. Quibor. 



on the coasts of the two oceans, united by the small canal of 
Raspadura, are distant from each other two hundred and twenty- 
five miles." 

9 



66 



NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 



Depart- 
ments. 


Provinces. 


Cantons. 


III. 

Apure, capital, 
Barinas. 


1. Barinas. 


1. Barinas. 2. Obispos. 3. Mijagual. 
4. Guanarito. 5. Nutrias. 6. San- 
Jaime. 7. Guanare. 8. Ospinos. 
9. Araure. 10. Pedraza. 


2. Apure, 
capital, Achaguas. 


1. Achaguas. 2. San-Fernando. 3. 1 
Mantecal. 4. Guadualito. 


IV. 

Zulia, capital, Maracaibo. 


1. Maracaibo. 


1. Maracaibo. 2. Perija. 3. San-Car- 
los de Zulia. 4. Jibraltar. 5. Puer- 
to Altagracia. 


2. Coro. 


1. Coro. 2. San-Luis. 3. Paraguana, 
chief place, Pueblo Nuevo. 4. Ca- 
sigua. 5. Cumarebo. 


3. Merida. 


1. Merida. 2. Mucuchies. 3. Ejido. 
4. Bailadores. 5. Lagrita. 6. San- 
Cristoval. 7. Tachira. 


4. Trujillo. 


1. Trujillo. 2. Escuque. 3. Bocono. 
4. Carache. 


V. 1 

Boyaca, capital, Tunja. 


1. Tunja. 


1. Tunja. 2. Leiva. 3. Chiquinquira. 
4. Muzo. 5. Sogamoso. 6. Tensa, 
chief place, Guateque. 7. Tocuyo. 
8. Santa-Rosa. 9. Suata. 10. Ter- 
merque. 11. Garagoa. 


2. Pamplona, 


1. Pamplona. 2. San-Jose de Cucuta. 
3. Rosario de Cucuta. 4. Salazar. 
5. Concepcion. 6. Malaga. 7. 
Jiron. 8. Bucaramanga. 9. Pie de 
Cuesta. 


3. Socorro. 


1. Socorro. 2. San-Gil. 3. Barichara. 
4. Charala. 5. Sapatoca. 6. Velez. 
7. Moniquira. 


4. Casanare, 
capital Pore. 


1. Pore. 2. Arauca. 3. Chire, at 
present Tame. 4. Santiago, at pre- 
sent Taguana. 5. Macuco. 6. 
Nunchia. 



TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS. 



j Depart- 
j menfs. 


Provinces. 


Cantons. 


VI. 

Cundinamarca, capital, Bog-ota, 


1. Bog-ota. 


1. Bogota. 2. Funza. 3. Meza. 4. 
Tocaima. 5. Fusagasuga. 6. Ca- 
quesa. 7. San-Martin. 8. Sipa- 
quira. 9. Ubate. 10. Choconta. 
11. Guaduas. 


2. Antioquia. 


1. Antioquia. 2. Medellfn. 3. Rio- 
Negro. 4. Marinilla. 5. Santa-Rosa 
de Osos. 6. Nordest, chief place, 
Remedios. 


3. Maraquita, 
capital, Honda. 


1. Honda. 2. Maraquita. 3. Ibague. 
4. LaPalma. 


4. Neiva. 


1. Neiva. 2. Purificacion. 3. La Pla- 
ta. 4. Timana. 


VII. 

Magdalena, capital, Cartagena. 


1. Cartagena. 


1. Cartagena. 2. Barranquilla. 3. So- 
lidad. 4. Mahates. 5. Corosal. 6. 
El Carmen. 7. Tolii. 8. Chinu. 
9. Magangue. 10. San-Benito Abad. 
11. Lorica. 12. Mompos. 13. Ma- 
jagual. 14. Samiti. 15. Islas de 
San-Andres. 


2. Santa-Marta. 


1. Santa-Marta. 2. Valle-Dupar. 3. 
Ocaiia. 4. Plato. 5. Tamalameque. 
6. Valencia de Jesus. 


3. Rio-Hacha. 


1. Rio-Hacha. 2. Cesar, chief place, 
San-Juan de Cesar. 


VIII. 

Cauca, capital, Popayin. 


1. Popayan. 


1. Popayan. 2. Almaguer. 3. Caloto. 
4. Cali. 5. Roldanillo. 6. Buga. j 
7. Palmira. 8. Cartago. 9. Tulua. 
10. Toro. 11. Supia. 


2. Choc6, 
capital, Quibdo. 


1. Atrato, chief place, Quibdo. 2. 
San-Juan, chief place, Novita. 


3. Pasto. 


1. Pasto. 2. Tuquerres. 3. Ipiales. 


4. Buenaventura, 
capital, Iscuande. 


1. Iscuande. 2. Barbacoas. 3. Tu- I 
maco. 4. Micay, chief place, Guapi. 
5. Raposo, chief "place at present, j 
La Cruz. 



68 



NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 



Depart- 
ments. 


Provinces. 


Cantons. 


IX. 1 

The Isthmus, 
capital, Panama. 


1. Panama. 


1. Panama. 2. Porto Bello. 3. Chor- 
reras. .4. Nata. 5. Los-Santos. 
6. Yabisa. 


2. Veragua. 


1. Santiago de Veragua. 2. Meza. 
3. Alanj'e. 4. Gaimf, chief place, 
Remedios. 


X. 

The Equator, 
capital, Quito. 


1. Pinchincha, 
capital, Quito. 


1. Quito. 2. Machachf. 3. La Ta- 
cunga. 4. Quijos. 5. Esmeraldas. 


2. Imbabura, 
capital, Ibarra. 


1. Ibarra. 2. Otabalo. 3. Cotacachi. 
4. Cayambe. 


3. Chimborazo, 
capital, Riobamba. 


1. Riobamba. 2. Ambato. 3. Guano. 
4. Guaranda. 5. Alausi. 6. Macas. 


XI. 

Asuay, capital, Cuenca. 


1. Cuenca. 


1. Cuenca. 2. Canari. 3. Gualaseo. 
4. Jiron. 


2. Loja. 


1. Loja. 2. Zaruma. 3. Cariamanga. 
4. Catacocha. 


3. Bracamoros y 

Mainas, 
capital, Jaen. 


1. Jaen. 2. Borja. 3. Jeveros. 


XII. 

Guayaquil. 


1. Guayaquil. 


1. Guayaquil. 2. Daule. 3. Baba- 
hoyo. 4. Baba. 5. Punta de Santa- 
Elena. 6. Machala. 


2. Manabi, 
capital, Puerto 
Viego. 


1. Puerto-Viejo. 2. Jipijapa. 3. 

Monte-Cristi. 



Note. The names of the capitals, or chief places of Departments, Pro- 
vinces, or Cantons, are omitted where they are the same as the territorial 
divisions in which they stand. 

The first voyage of Columbus, in 1492, resulted 
in the discovery of San-Salvador, Cuba, and San- 
Domingo or Hispaniola, called by the natives Hayti. 
He built a fort, and took possession of the discovered 
countries in the name of the king of Spain. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 69 

During his second, which occupied the years 
1493-94 and 95, he founded the town of Isabella, 
in Hispaniola. The reward of his third expedition, 
in 1498, was the discovery of Trinidad, and that 
part of the continent lying opposite, in the gulph of 
Paria. In 1500, he was sent in fetters to Spain; 
but, having triumphed over his enemies, in 1502, a 
fourth expedition was entrusted to his direction, dur- 
ing which he explored a large portion of the coast. 

Alexander VI. by his bull, dated in 1501, trans- 
ferred to the kings of Spain all jurisdiction which 
he or his successors might have claimed, over the 
churches about to be established in the New World. 
The crown of Spain thus became the head of the 
hierarchy in America, and all intercourse between 
the church and the pope was interdicted except 
through the king.* 

In 1511, the council of the Indies was establish- 
ed by Ferdinand, and re-modelled by Charles V, 
in 1524. This council, at which the king was sup- 
posed to preside, became the sovereign legislature 
of the colonies. The cortes, or the council of Cas- 
tile, which were at different periods the parliaments 
of Spain, could in no way interfere with the go- 
vernment of America. The newly discovered coun- 
tries, according to the laws of the Indies, formed 
an integral part of the Spanish empire, equal in 

* Nearly similar privileges were accorded to the kings of 
Portugal. Are the Catholics, then, of North America, the 
only ones who have direct communication with the pope ? Is 
it not high time to have an American successor of St. Peter ? 



70 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

rights and dignity to the Peninsula, but no other- 
wise connected with it than in having a common 
head. 

Soon after the discovery, the country and the 
human cattle were seized upon by the conquerors. 
The Indians were sold into slavery, oppressed, 
and so inhumanly treated, that thousands perished 
through the severity of their task- masters. 

Upon the representations of Las Casas and other 
friends of humanity, an attempt was made to ame- 
liorate the condition of the Indians, in the establish- 
ment of the repartimientos, by which they were 
divided among the Spaniards, who had the profit 
of their labour for a certain term, but without a right 
of property in their persons, which remained with 
the king. 

The crying abuses of this plan led to the substi- 
tution of the encomienderos. The encomiendero 
was obliged to live in the district containing the In- 
dians under his guardianship; he was required to 
protect, civilize, and instruct them; and, in return, 
was permitted to receive a tribute in money or per- 
sonal service. This system was the source of as 
much oppression as the former. 

The next effort in favour of the abused Indians, 
was the confiding them to the care of missionaries 
and curates ; but, finally, they were allowed to 
elect magistrates called alcaldes, for their own go- 
vernment; subject, however, to the control of a 
corregidor, to prevent the alcaldes from committing 
excesses in the exercise of their authority. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 71 

At first the king had but two representatives in 
America. These were the viceroys of Mexico and 
Peru. Chili was erected into a captain-generalship 
in 1568. The remoteness of some parts of the coun- 
try from the viceroy at Lima, occasioned the crea- 
tion of a third vice- kingdom, that of New Granada, 
having Santa-Fe de Bogota for its capital. In 
17^1, the captain-generalship- of Caracas was se- 
parated from the vice-kingdom of Granada, having 
for its capital the city of Caracas.* 

This part of the coast having been discovered by 
Columbus in 1498, during his third expedition, a 
number of adventurers had succeeded in penetrat- 
ing into the valley of Caracas. The reports made 
of its fertility, its mines, and the beauty of its situ- 
ation, were so often repeated, that the Spanish go- 
vernment determined to place a colony on its soil. 
The first who attempted it was "Francis Faxardo, 
son of a Spaniard of Margarita and Isabella, ca- 
cique of one of the nations which inhabited the 
valley. Possessing the advantage of his mater- 
nal origin, and a knowledge of many of the Indian 
languages, he at first made himself acceptable to 
the different caciques, who at that time amounted 
to upwards of thirty, holding under their coutrol, 
according to estimation, one hundred and fifty 
thousand Indians. Faxardo, wishing to profit by 
the favourable disposition existing towards him, 

* A fourth vice-royalty was established in 1778, at Buenos 
Ayres, comprehending all the Spanish possessions east of the 
western cordilleras of the Andes, and south of the Amazon, 



f2 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

applied for permission to build a town ; but awaken- 
ing the suspicions of the Indians, he was obliged to 
retire with the few adventurers who had followed 
him. Having failed in various attempts, he at 
length incurred the ill will of the Spanish gover- 
nors, was treacherously decoyed to Cumana, by the 
governor Alonzo Cabos, and strangled. 

Peter Miranda supplied the place of Faxardo. 
Collado, the Governor, accompanied this expedition, 
to satisfy himself with regard to a mine, which he 
found to exceed the report made of it by Faxardo. 
A general opposition of the Indians, obliged this 
party to make a hasty retreat, and it was not till 
the arrival of a reinforcement of Spaniards that 
they succeeded in building a small village of huts, 
which was called San-Francisco, and occupied the 
spot upon which Caracas was subsequently built. 
The attention of* the Spaniards being diverted 
from the conquest of the valley, by the necessity of 
repressing a freebooter named Aguirre, who, with 
his followers, was perpetrating every atrocity on 
the coast, the project of conquest was not seriously 
resumed till 1565, when Governor Bernaldez gave 
the command of an expedition, for this purpose, to 
Gutierres de la Pefia, who finding the Indians as- 
sembled to dispute his passage, thought it prudent 
to retire. 

The execution of this enterprise was reserved for 
Bon Pedro de Leon, who arrived from Spain as 
Governor, with instructions to neglect no means to 
accomplish the conquest of Caracas, In 1567, he 



VALLEY OF CARACAS. 73 

formed an expedition composed of one hundred 
and fifty fighting men, and eighty scouts, and con- 
ferred the ccmimand on Don Diego Losada. This 
commander made his approach by the mountain 
Coquisas, at the foot of which he encountered a nu- 
merous army. Victory remained a long time doubt- 
ful. The Indians, in order to make an impression 
on the invaders, had set fire to the forests on the 
mountains. Having surmounted this first opposi- 
tion by the sacrifice of some lives, he next met the 
Cacique Graycaipaco, posted with ten thousand In- 
dians at the river San-Pedro, nine miles from Ca- 
racas. The discipline and valour of the Spanish 
troops rendered them victorious, notwithstanding 
the immense numerical disparity. After innumera- 
ble conflicts, hardships, and dangers, which would 
bear a comparison with those of Cortez and Pi- 
zarro, alternately employing the terror of his arms 
and the arts of conciliation, Losada succeeded in 
penetrating to the collection of huts at San- Fran- 
cisco, where he established his camp, and laid the 
foundation, in 1567? of the city, to which he gave 
the name of the Governor, Santiago de Leon, with 
the affix, de Caracas, the appellation of one of the 
tribes of Indians inhabiting the valley. 

The valley of Caracas is about sixteen miles long ? 
from east to west, with an unequal breadth of from 
four to seven miles, formed by two ridges nearly 
parallel to the coast. The craggy ridge of the Cerro 
de Avila, and the two domes of the Silla, to the 
north and north-east, shut out this delightful valley 

10 



74 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

from the bustle of its sea-port, La Guayra, distant 
in a straight line, not more than six or eight miles, 
and render the city as retired and secure, as if re- 
moved one hundred miles into the interior. The 
ridge on the south gives inclination to the tributary 
streams which swell the Tuy. To the west, it is 
separated from the fertile valley of Valencia and its 
romantic lake, by a group of mountains, called 
Higuerote, comprising, among others, Buenavista 
and the Coquisas. Four small streams, the Gruayra. 
the Anauco, the Catuche, and the Caraguata, digni- 
fied by the name of rivers, after meandering through 
the valley, affording water for the purposes of 
irrigation and the wants of a populous city, unite 
and find their way to the sea by the river Tuy, to 
the east of cape Codera. 

This surface is sufficiently near a dead level, to 
warrant the belief that this basin once formed the 
bed of a lake. The valley is said to have been 
drained by a cleft in the ridge called the quebrada 
de Tipe. Many slight inequalities, however, serve 
to give variety to the ground. These have been 
seized upon as appropriate sites for villas, which 
are dispersed here and there, like little islands, in 
this sea of verdure. 

The margin is very irregularly indented by 
the projecting spurs of the mountains, forming 
promontories, or head -lands, stretching a greater 
or less distance, till at length they subside into the 
general level of the plain. These projections, with 
the alternate indentations, present a striking trait in 



SILLA OF CARACAS. J5 

the scene; for, continuing with considerable regu- 
larity to the summit of the ridges, being clear of 
trees, though covered with verdure, they present 
the appearance of huge furrows, which the imagi- 
nation may fancy to have been traced by the hands 
of a race of giants. 

In this narrow valley, which the historian of Ve- 
nezuela compares to the terrestrial paradise, recog- 
nising in its four streams those of the garden of 
Eden, are to be found, — the banana and plantin, 
orange, lime, and lemon trees, the sugar-cane and 
Indian corn, the cacao, (of which chocolate is made,) 
coffee, apple and apricot trees, the pine-apple, olive, 
vine, fig, peach, quince, cotton, rice, indigo, and a 
long list of exquisite fruits, as the guava, chilimoyas, 
alligator-pear, tamarinds, &c. flourishing near each 
other, uniting in a narrow space the productions of 
the temperate and torrid zones. 

Among the many striking objects presented at 
every step to the eye of the delighted visiter of this 
favoured spot, the Silla, (saddle,) so called from 
its supposed resemblance, arrests attention by its 
towering height. It is situated to the north-east of 
Caracas, distant about five or six miles, sloping, on 
one side, towards the valley, and on the other over- 
hauging, with its frightful precipices, the little town 
of Caravalleda, built ou the sea-shore, a short dis- 
tance to the east of La Guayra. Its height was first 
accurately determined by MM. de Humboldt and 
Boopland, in 1800. They found the elevation of 
the highest, or eastern dome, to be 8663 feet, a re^ 



76 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

suit much under the estimated height given to it by 
the Caracaniaus, who, from a natural feeling, had 
identified themselves with their favourite mountain, 
and cherished a sort of pride in its supposed eleva- 
tion. 

The following lively description is from M. de 
Humboldt's account of his visit to the Silla : — 
(i Having arrived at the eastern summit, we enjoy- 
ed only for a few minutes, all the serenity of the 
sky. The eye commanded a vast space of country, 
and looked down towards the north, on the sea, 
and towards the south, on the fertile valley of Ca- 
racas, embracing an extent of sea of thirty-six 
leagues radius. Those persons whose senses are 
affected by looking down a considerable depth, 
should remain at the centre of a large flat which 
crowns the eastern summit of the Silla." 

" The mountain is not very remarkable for its 
height, but it is distinguished among all those I 
have visited, by an enormous precipice on the side 
next the sea. The coast forms only a narrow bor- 
der, and looking from the summit of the pyramid, 
on the houses of Caravalleda, the wall of rock 
seems, by an optical illusion, to be nearly perpen- 
dicular. The real slope of the declivity appeared 
to me, according to an exact calculation 53° 28', 
the horizontal distance from Caravalleda, to a ver- 
tical line passing through its summit, near 6416 
feet. The mean slope of the Peak of Teneriffe is 
12° 30', and the greatest declivity of Mont Blanc, 
though it is described as cut perpendicularly, does 



SILLA OF CAKACAS. 77 

not even reach an angle of 45°. A precipice of 
six or seven thousand feet, like that of the Silla of 
Caracas, is a phenomenon far more rare than is ge- 
nerally believed by those who cross mountains 
without measuring their height, their bulk, and their 
slopes. Since the experiments on the fall of bo- 
dies, and their deviation to the south-east have been 
resumed in Europe, a rock of sixteen hundred feet 
perpendicular height, has in vain been sought for, 
among the Alps of Switzerland." 

Rains are frequent at Caracas, in the months of 
April, May and June. Although no hail falls in 
the low regions of the tropics, yet it occurs here 
every four or five years, and sometimes, though not 
so frequently, in vallies of less elevation. During 
the remainder of the year, there is not more wet 
weather than is required for the purposes of agri- 
culture. In this climate of perpetual verdure, the 
months of November and December are delightfully 
pleasant, the greater part of the day is very clear, 
generally not a cloud to be seen; but towards even- 
ing, mists are formed, by conflictiugcurrents of air, 
of different temperatures, which first enveloping the 
beautiful domes of the Silla, come sweeping down 
the sides of the surrounding mountains, and con- 
densing into clouds, settle over the whole valley. 
But this gloomy contrast, between the clearness of 
the morning and the cloudy sky of the evening, is 
not observed in midsummer. The nights of June 
and July are clear aud delicious, the atmosphere 
then possesses, almost without interruption, that 



78 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

purity and transparency which are peculiar to ta- 
ble lands, in all elevated vallies, in calm weather^ 

Previous to the revolution, the Captain-general- 
ship of Caracas was one of those separate govern- 
ments by which the King of Spain ruled South- 
America, through the medium of his Council of the 
Indies. The Captain -general received his appoint- 
ment from the King, to whom alone he was ac- 
countable. The territory committed to his govern- 
ment occupied forty-eight thousand square leagues, 
subdivided into seven provinces ; namely, Cumana, 
Barcelona, Caracas proper or Venezuela, Coro, 
Maracaibo, Varinas, Guiana, and one separate go- 
vernment, that of the Island of Margarita. 

In 1800, the seven provinces, according to Hum- 
boldt, contained about 900,000 inhabitants, of 
whom 60,000 were slaves, and 100,000 Indians 



CHAPTER V. 

CITY OF CARACAS PAVEMENTS PLAZAS CATHEDRAL- 
MARKET COSTUME PROVISIONS MANUFACTURES — SO- 
CIETY MERCHANTS SIESTA THEATRE NOBILITY ■ 

LADIES SERVANTS. 

CARACAS, by the recent territorial division of 
the Republic, is the chief city of the province of 
the same name, in the department of Venezuela. 

It is situated in 10° 30' 50", north latitude, and 
9° 37' east longitude, from Washington, at an ele- 
vation of 2,906 feet above the sea; containing, in 
1853, about 27,000 inhabitants.* 

The mean temperature of the year 71° Fahr* 
Do. hot season - - 75° 

Do. cold season - - 66° 

Maximum - - - 84° 

Minimum - - - 52° 

The city is built on the northern confine of its 
delightful valley, at the foot of the Cerro de Avila. 
It extends from the river Gruayra, its southern limit 
up the side of the mountain, about half a mile, hav- 
ing an ascent in that distance of two hundred and 
five feet. As no pains have been taken to graduate 
the slope, it would be found extremely inconvenient 
were wheel carriages used ; but as every thing is 
transported on the backs of mules accustomed to 

* The population in 1802, was forty-one thousand. — Hum- 
boldt. 



80 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

traverse the mountains, the inconvenience is not 
sensibly felt. 

The length of the city from east to west is much 
greater than its breadth, and may be estimated at 
about a mile. The rivers Anauco and Caraguata 
bound it on the east : they, as well as the Guayra 
on the south, are crossed on excellent stone bridges. 
The Catuche runs through the whole length of the 
city, supplying the public fountains, and water for 
domestic uses. It has five bridges; but as the 
banks are suffered to remain as nature formed them, 
steep, irregular, and covered with weeds, this 
stream, however useful, injures the appearance of 
the city very much. 

The streets, well paved with pebbles, are about 
twenty five feet broad; their direction north and 
south, and at right angles, forming blocks or 
squares of about three hundred feet on each side. 
A stream of clear water flows constantly through 
many of them. There are no elevated side walks ; 
the sharpness and unevenness of the pavement, and 
the constant encounter of loaded mules, which as 
often take as yield the wall, render their absence a 
serious inconvenience to strangers. 

Some taste and much ingenuity are discoverable 
in the pavements, particularly in those before the 
entrances of public buildings, and along the pas- 
sages leading to the patios, or court yards, of some 
private houses. Formed of black and white peb- 
bles, they are tessellated, or are so disposed as to 
form a name, date, coat of arms, or patriotic motto. 



PLAZAS. 81 

Frequently a memento niori, in the shape of a raw- 
head and bloody-bones, greets yon on entering a 
church. In these delineations, the leg bones of 
animals, planted vertically so as to expose the 
socket of the knee joint, with stones aud shells of 
various shapes and colours, are frequently used. 
The breadth of the streets is diminished by the 
projections of the windows, which prevent one 
from walking very near the houses ; and at night 
some precaution is necessary on the part of strangers 
to avoid them, as the streets are not lighted. A 
small part of the calle real, or main street, is 
neatly flagged on the side walk, but it is not raised 
above the level of the pavement. 

There are eight public squares in Caracas. 

The Plaza-Major, is about three hundred feet on 
each side, paved with rounded stones, and bounded 
by four streets. On the east, is the cathedral ; oppo- 
site, a barrack, guard-house, and some private build- 
ings ; on the two other sides, dwelling-houses and 
shops. In this square the market is held. 

Candelaria, its church in rums, from the earth- 
quake. 

St. Paul, neither paved nor graduated ; it has 
an ornamental fountain in its centre. 

Trinity, irregular, not graduated, and surround- 
ed with ruins. 

St. Hyacinth, with its convent. 

St. Lazarus, merely an inclostire in front of the 
church, 

Pastora, and St. John. 

a 



82 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

The Cathedral, occupying tin?, east side of the 
great square, is about two hundred and fifty feet 
deep, by seventy-five front, low and heavy; the roof 
is supported by twenty-four mason-work plastered 
columns, in four rows. The two centre rows form 
the nave, twenty-five feet broad; the other two 
divide the aisles, at the distance of twelve feet each ; 
so that the nave is as broad as the two aisles on its 
right or left. The high altar is placed against the 
wall, opposite the principal entrance. The choir 
occupies half the nave, and has a very cumbrous 
effect. Besides the high altar, there are fourteen 
smaller ones, in recesses along the sides of the 
church, approached through the intervals of the 
columns. The steeple, which, previous to 181Sj 
was remarkable for its height and boldness, does 
not now reach to more than one-fourth its former 
elevation. The appearance of the building is also 
much injured by enormous buttresses, of stone work, 
erected on the outside, to guard against the effect 
of earthquakes. 

The part of the interior near the high altar is en- 
tirely covered with, pictures, in richly gilded frames. 
Velvet and damask tapestry, fine carpets, rich can- 
dlesticks, and a profusion of other ornaments, com- 
plete the decorations. The vestments of the priests 
and assistants are very splendid. 

At a celebration of high mass, on the 28th of Oc- 
tober, the president's birth day, at which all the 
dignitaries of government, both civil and military, 
and about two hundred priests of the various orders. 



CATHEDRAL. 83 

assisted— the military in their gorgeous uniforms, 
the civilians in black, wearing the insignia of office, 
and the priests in their peculiar costumes ; the state- 
liness of the ceremonies was very imposing. The 
priests, in particular, seated in extended rows along 
the nave, in their black, white, and grey robes, 
rivetted my attention. The degree of mortification 
to which some of the orders subject themselves, was 
evident, from their homely coarse habits, bare legs, 
emaciated frames, and wan countenances; the ton- 
sure added to their venerable appearance. Their 
devout demeanour, the splendour of the temple, the 
impressive ceremonies, brought to my mind the col- 
lege of cardiuals, and at the swell of the organ and 
numerous choir, I was transported, for a moment, 
to St. Peter's — the Vatican and St. Angelo were 
present, with their crowd of associations. 

There are four parish churches besides the cathe- 
dral; St. Rosalie, St. Paul, Candlemas, and Alta 
Gratia. Three monasteries, the Franciscan, the 
Dominican, and that of Mercy. One house of 
preachers, one hospital of Capuchins. Two nunne- 
ries, one of Conception, the other of Carmelites, 
One house for the education of young women, and 
three hermitages, St. Maurice, the Trinity, and La 
Divina Pastora. 

"The churches in Caracas are generally well 
built. That which surpasses all the others is the 
church of Alta Gracia, built by the free men of co- 
lour, the structure of which would do honour to the 
first cities of France. ?? Dejtons, 



84) NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

No convents have been founded in this country 
for eighty years, and those already built are daily 
losing their inmates. According to the provisions 
of a law passed by the new government, so soon as 
the number of religionists is reduced to a certain 
point, the buildings are taken for the use of. the 
state on a certain composition with the order. 

The market which is held every, day in the great 
square, presents a very busy and interesting scene. 
The market people rise so very early, that they are 
enabled to come some miles with their produce, and 
attend a mass before sun-rise. The churches are 
open before day-light, to afford an opportunity to 
persons of every class to witness the rites of their 
religion ; and masses are celebrated every hour from 
that time till 10 or 11 o'clock. 

The throng at market is greatest about sun-rise, 
that those who attend may escape, as much as pos- 
sible, the heat of the day. As there are no booths, 
stalls, or permanent shelter of any kind, the mar- 
ket people arrange themselves, without much regu- 
larity, in lanes wide enough to permit the pur- 
chasers to pass through, having their commodities 
exposed immediately before them. They are for 
the most part, women of colour, of all the interme- 
diate shades, produced by European, African, and 
Indian blood, and are the servants or slaves of 
those who cultivate farms in the neighbourhood ; or 
petty cultivators, who till a small patch of ground 
on their own account. A little awning of cloth or 
palm leaves is erected by most of them, to shade 



COSTUME. $5 

part of the body ; thus sheltered, they squat upon 
the stone pavement, and with the most untiring pa- 
tience await the demand of customers. They dis- 
play in their little traffic much aeuteness, polite- 
ness, grace, and amenity of manner, altogether re- 
moved from the coarse effrontery of the same class 
of women in other countries. The harsh gutteral 
of the Billingsgate virago, is replaced by the lan- 
guid, lisping liquid, of the complaisant Senora. 
Their dress, which is uniform through the whole 
of the tierras calientes, consists of a short under 
garment of coarse cotton, cut very low around the 
bust, and exposing the shoulder blades behind, 
with merely a connecting strap over the shoulders, 
embroidered around the neck an inch deep, with 
blue cotton, or worsted, after the manner of our 
sailors' shirt collars. Over this is a petticoat of ca- 
lico, or dark blue cotton stuff, very fully plaited all 
round, tied with a band closely above the hips. A 
man's straw hat, and a mantilla of blue cloth, or a 
shawl, or scarf of muslin, carelessly thrown over 
the head and shoulders, complete their covering, as 
they are almost always barefooted. They are not, 
however, equally sparing in point or ornament 
No woman, however destitute, is without a row of 
beads, and its pendant cross ; many wear pieces of 
coin suspended with the cross, which is mostly of 
gold or silver. Some, whose feet have never known 
the restraint of a shoe, are tricked out with rich 
gold ear-rings, necklaces, bracelets, and brilliant 
combs ; but the hair is most generally confined by 
a string, and adorned with flowers. 



86 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

The dress of the men, of the same class, consists 
of a pair of trowsers, or else of drawers reaching 
only to the knee, a shirt, and straw hat Each 
man also possesses a blanket, or a dried hide called 
poncho, having a slit cut in its centre, through 
which the head is thrust, serving as a " bed by 
night," a covering all the day ; and which, in time 
of need, enables the owner to dispense, without 
any outward show of impropriety, with the other 
two articles of his wardrobe. To these is added a 
macheta, a long knife, or short sword, the invaria- 
ble appendage to a Spanish thigh. 

The articles sold in market, are the numerous 
delicious fruits of the tropics, and many of the 
temperate latitudes; among which are oranges and 
lemons of various kiuds, plantains and bananas, ex- 
cellent on account of their wholesomeness and agree- 
able flavour; a fruit called by the English sour-sop, 
haddocks, pomegranates, alligator- pears, the deli- 
cious chUimoyaSf grapes, figs, apples, peaches, 
plums, apricots, &c. water and musk-melons, tama- 
rinds, guavas, pineapples, and many others. The 
vegetables are, the potatoe, good, but small, beets, 
parsnips, carrots, cabbage, fine cauliflowers, lettuce, 
squashes, yams, artichokes, turnips, the sweet po- 
tatoe, and a yellow root called apio. The top of 
the apio is precisely, in appearance, taste, and 
smell, like our celery, but the root, which is. eaten 
boiled, is very different, having the appearance of 
a sweet potatoe. 

You find, also, fresh beef and pork, separated 
from the bone and cut into chunks ; came seca, 



PROVISIONS. 87 

(dried beef,) cut in long strips ; this is sometimes 
prepared with a little salt, or is slightly smoked, 
and is by no means inviting. The mutton, though 
small, is excellent; some fish, but no veal, is 
brought to market. Hog's lard, called manteca,* 
wrapped in plantain leaves, is sold in great abun- 
dance, and, as well as garlic and onions, is used 
excessively in cooking. Fowls, turkeys, partridges, 
pigeons, duck, geese, and abundance of eggs, are 
met with, but no butter; the little used by foreign- 
ers iti Caracas, being imported. Indian corn in 
grain, and prepared in various ways, is also sold, 
as well as sugar, brown and white, the juice of the 
cane, and houey. You also find a mixture of mu- 
cilage and molasses, called papelon, which is much 
relished by the lower classes of people, and eaten 
by them like cheese; fermented with water, it 
yields the intoxicating drink guarapo. Bread, 
made of maize, is called arepa; while that formed 
into large disks, eighteen inches in diameter and 
about a fourth of an inch thick, made from the ma- 
nioc root, is called casava. This is as little relished 
by a North American, as the arepq,? or corn bread, 
is by a European. 

In addition to the foregoing, and many other ar- 

* To obviate the ill effects of this excessive use of hog's 
lard, the lower classes have great faith in an external appli- 
cation of the same substance. It is smeared upon a patch of 
black silk, and stuck on the temples, to draw the grease from 
the system. It is the sovereign'st thing on earth for the head- 
ache. 



88 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

tides of food, the small manufactures of the coun- 
try are to be met with. These consist of tobacco, 
made into segars; excellent, large, well propor- 
tioned earthenware vases, to contain water; cook- 
ing utensils made of the same clay, which has the 
property of standing the fire so well as to super- 
cede, almost entirely, the use of iron for this pur- 
pose; vessels of various forms and sizes, and 
spoons and ladles, neatly made of calabash or some 
beautiful hard wood ; coarse cottons, mats, straw 
hats, strings of beads, baskets, coffee bags, &c, 
ropes, twine, pouches, harness for bat mules, and 
a kind of shoes or sandals called paragaters, made 
of the fibre of the leaf of the Agave Americana, or 
flowering aloe. This plant, which is found grow- 
ing in almost every part of Colombia, affords a 
strong, durable fibre, from three to five feet long. 
It is admirably adapted for making cables, ropes, 
twine, or coarse cloth ; and such is its abundance, 
that sufficient quantities could be obtained to con- 
stitute a very important article of commerce, were 
Its durable qualities, which have been tested by ex- 
periment, more, generally known and justly ap- 
preciated. 

The prepared fibre of this plant is called Co 
quise. The sandals formed of it, although not so 
much worn in Caracas as in the interior, consti- 
tute an important article in the infant manufactures 
of the country, from the number of hands employed 
to supply the daily consumption. They are worn 
in Caracas by mechanics, house servants, and 



MANUFACTURES. »y 

muleteers ; but in the mountains of the interior, by 
all classes of persons, excepting only the priests, 
from the Alcalde and his lady, (and generally with- 
out stockings,) to the lowest individual. The price 
is usually twenty-five cents a pair. To make these 
sandals, the fibre is first formed into a braid nearly 
half an inch wide, which is tightly coiled and 
stitched together to form the sole. A fore part is 
then woven to contain the point of the foot, with 
merely a band behind to secure the sandal to the 
heel. 

The pulp of the leaves of which this fibre is 
made, is a very good substitute for soap ; and the 
porous wood of the stem, when dried, forms an ex- 
cellent strap for sharpening cutting instruments, 
on account of the fine grit it contains. 

The pita, a fibre obtained from a tree called ma~ 
richi, possesses an advantage over the coquise, in 
its greater length, being ten or twelve feet long, and 
in its finer texture and silky lustre. This is likewise 
very strong, aud is used in sewing leather boots and 
shoes. With proper preparation, beautiful silky 
cloth, and canvass of great durability, might be made 
of this fibre. 

The medium of small exchanges, consisting of the 
4th, 8th, 16th, and 32d parts of a dollar, is chiefly 
of clipped coin, of every variety of form and size, 
called maconquina. It passes freely at its nominal 
value, although intrinsically less, by one-third. For 
larger sums, dollars and doubloons are used $ the 



90 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

latter, however, with reference to the former, vary 
in price. 

" Society does not present very animated and 
varied pleasures ; but that feeling of comfort is ex- 
perienced in domestic life, which leads to uniform 
cheerfulness and cordiality, united with politeness 
of manners. There exist at Caracas, as in every 
place where a great change in the ideas is prepar- 
ing, two races of men, (we might say two distinct 
generations,) one, of which but a small number re- 
mains, preserves a strong attachment for ancient 
customs, simplicity of manners, and moderation in 
their desires. They live only in the images of the 
past. America appears to them a property conquer 
ed by their ancestors. Abhorring what is called the 
enlightened state of the age, they carefully preserve 
hereditary prejudices as a part of their patrimony, 
The other class, less occupied even by the present 
than by the future, have a propensity, often ill- 
judged, for new habits and ideas. When this ten- 
dency is allied to the love of solid instruction, re- 
strained and guided by a strong and enlightened 
reason, its effects become beneficial to society. I 
know at Caracas, among the second generation, se- 
veral men, equally distinguished for their taste for 
study, the mildness of their manners, and the ele- 
vation of their sentiments. I have also known men, 
who, disdaining all that is excellent in the charac- 
ter, the literature, and the arts of the Spaniards, 
have lost their national individuality, without hav- 
ing acquired from their connexions with foreigners, 






SOCIETY. 91 

my just ideas of the real basis of happiness and 
social order." Humb. Per. *Yar. 

These remarks, written in iSO% plainly indicate, 
that If, de Humboldt is as close an observer in the 
political as in the natural world. Since that time, 
the elements of convulsion have exploded; and. after 
desolating the country for twelve years, are nearly 
exhausted by the excess of their own violence. The 
repose which is about to succeed, will be doubly 
sweet from the horror of the conflict The rising tem- 
ple of liberty will be the more durable, more highly 
prized, and better defended, as its foundation has 
been laid at a greater expense of anxiety, toil, and 
blood. It cannot be denied, how much soever it 
may be regretted by the friends of social order and 
civil liberty, that the less worthy members of the 
class which M. de Humboldt designates as being 
of the "'second generation, " are but too. numerous: 
but this is neither to be wondered at nor avoided. 
We rarelv have anv sood meted out to us without 
some countervailing evil. In the present instance, 
a free government is established, founded upon the 
rights of man, and acknowledged to be adapted to 
the full development of his faculties, both physical 
and moral: instead of one avowedly constituted ex- 
preaei§ to curb and benumb those faculties, as the 
only means of perpetuating subjection to the parent 
state: in other words, we have, (I fear not the 
imputation of republican cant.) liberty for oppres- 
sion. The attendant evil is the temporary exalta- 

i of men calculated neither to adorn nor im- 



9S NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

prove society; but, on the contrary, prone to injure 
it by their example, rendered more baneful by the 
influence of the rank and consideration which they 
enjoy. But this evil, as has been said, is only tem- 
porary, while the benefit is permanent. The qua- 
lifications of a daring soldier, ready to do or die, 
are not always united with those required to form a 
good peaceable citizen. In war, hearts and hands 
are most in request; those who possess them must 
rule the ascendaut; in peace, other requisites are 
necessary. Consideration will be obtained by those 
possessing qualifications adapted to the actual state 
of society. After a few years of peace, the rough 
unlettered soldier must yield his place to the intel- 
ligent and cultivated citizen. The novi homines, 
therefore, who have nothing to recommend them but 
their fondness for irregularity and strife, will soon 
lose their influence; and, as the storm they have 
directed subsides, will sink into oblivion and con- 
tempt 

The same causes which have increased this class, 
have thinned the other, " who live only in the images 
of the past." Notwithstanding the prejudices and 
antipathy, a republican may be supposed to have 
imbibed against a man who hugs his chain and glo- 
ries in his bondage, it is impossible to see a real 
old hidalgo, wrapped in his scarlet embroidered 
cloak, furtively issuing from his obscure residence, 
without experiencing a regret at his altered state. 
Stripped of his honours and office, but too proud 
to work, he exists on a pittance, too small for an 



SOCIETY. 93 

Anchorite, most probably derived from the labour 
of an attached slave, who prefers toiling for his an- 
cient master to receiving the freedom within his 
reach ; proving, by this single trait, both his own 
worth and that of the man he serves. Without 
suffering an audible complaint to pass his lips, 
with no care but to conceal the bitterness of his 
misery from the upstarts around him, he uniformly 
preserves his philosophic gravity, the perfect de- 
cency of his ancient and rather worn costume, and 
the majestic dignity of his step. He thus drags out a 
long life, in solitude and poverty, suspected and 
despised, devoted to religion, offering prayers for 
his beloved Ferdinand, and sustained alone by a 
contemplation of the height from which he has 
fallen, with but a feeble ray of hope of ever ascend- 
ing it, to illumine his dark despair. 

The title Don is no longer given to any one in 
Colombia — listed, an abreviation of your grace, is 
frequently used in addressing servants. 

The European dress is worn by the gentlemen 
of Caracas, the French fashions being preferred. 
The only modification, is the almost constant ad- 
dition of a cloak, without sleeves or cape, put on 
most frequently, to conceal any want of proprete^ 
in the under dress, when called out suddenly, than 
on account of the climate. The priests wear the 
garb of their respective orders, each being distin- 
guished by the colour or shape. It is, most gene- 
rally, a cassock of black silk, though the Carme- 
lites wear white, or rather yellow, and the Fran- 



94 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

ciscans grey ; with a large felt hat resembling those 
of our Quakers. 

The men generally are rather under the common 
size, have sallow complexions, black hair and eyes, 
and well-turned limbs. 

In most of the large towns, foreign merchants 
are established, principally English, French, and 
Germans. The stores, furnished with many arti- 
cles of European luxury, occupy the principal 
streets, and are so arranged as to make the best 
display of the wares. The retail stores are kept 
by the Creoles, in which are to be found the cheaper 
articles of foreign dry-goods, and the fabrics of 
the country. A lower order of shops, kept also 
by the natives of the country, contain aguardiente, 
a distilled liquor from grain, chicha and guarapo, 
drinks resembling cider and small beer, made of 
fermented maize and papelon. Chicha is met with 
at almost every house on the road, affording a very 
pleasant beverage to the exhausted traveller. Ma- 
ny articles of grocery are sold in these shops, as 
well as prepared meats, sausages, fruits and vege- 
tables, bread, tobacco, and generally such a hete- 
rogeneous assortment, as is to be found in our coun= 
try stores. 

On account of the heat of the middle of the day, 
the morning is appropriated to business. About 
sun-rise, and even before, the churches are visited 
by the more devout, marketing and other business 
attended to in the street, till breakfast; engage- 
ments within-doors, then occupy the principal 



siesta. yd 

I 

part -of the inhabitants, till dinner, after which 
the siesta follows. At this period of the day, the 
streets are deserted and the shops closed, no living 
being is to be seen, except some prying, indefatiga- 
ble, curious foreigner, whose reliance on the " vi- 
gour of his muscle," and confidence in the. strength 
of his undebilitated northern constitution, prompts, 
him to brave the influence of a vertical sun. This 
practice of foreigners has given rise to a saying 
among the Creoles, more characterized by truth 
than courtesy, that none but dogs and Englishmen 
walk the streets at mid-day ; intending to include 
all foreigners by that term. This indiscriminate 
application may be accounted for, from the circum- 
stance of the English having been the first who 
came to the country in any numbers; they were 
principally merchants and officers of the army. 
Scattered in every quarter, their influence has not 
been idly employed. Constantly referring every 
thing to England, as the standard of perfection, ex- 
tolling her power and riches, giving the name 
English to all goods, whether manufactured in 
France, Germany, or the East; they have produced 
a belief among the uninformed Creoles, that every 
thing not Spanish, must be English ; consequently, 
on finding a person who speaks Spanish imper- 
fectly, (which they consider a great mark of igno- 
rance,) they set him down, at once, as an English- 
man. 

The people of Caracas pay much attention to 
the external forms of religion. The fetes connected 



96 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

• 

with religion are extremely numerous, attended 
with expense, pomp, and the waste of much time ? 
amounting, it is said, to one hundred and forty 
days, exclusive of Sundays ; so that, including the 
Sabbath, more than half the year is lost to in- 
dustry. 

These religious ceremonies, with balls and mu- 
sic, of which the Colombians are passionately fond ? 
constitute the public amusements. 

A theatre, capable of containing about eight hun- 
dred persons, is open on days of fete, and crowded 
to excess, notwithstanding the indifference of the 
performance. The old theatre, destroyed by the 
earthquake, was capable of containing fifteen or 
eighteen hundred persons. In the present tempo- 
rary building, the boxes are divided in the usual 
manner; they are filled with family parties, who 
are obliged to bring with them, chairs or seats of 
some kind, as this convenience is not provided. 
The pit has neither roof nor floor; the price of ad- 
mission is twenty-five cents ; the police consisting 
of six or seven soldiers being stationed about the 
house with muskets, under charge of an officer. 

The declamation is pompous, the action mecha- 
nical, utterly devoid of grace or nature. During the 
performance, a buffoon holds possession of the 
stage, who endeavours to make the " interest cen- 
tre in himself,' 7 by coarse wit, grimace, and the as- 
tonishing pliability of the features of his chapeau. 
Tennis-courts and billiard-rooms are frequented 
by those in search of amusement. Gramine; con- 



NOBLES. 97 

sumes much time, is the passion of all classes, and 
may justly be considered the most hurtful vice the 
Coiombians possess, their redeeming virtues being 
sobriety and temperance. 

There are but two hotels in Caracas, one kept 
by a Frenchman, the other by a Creole of one of 
the Islands. They are frequented almost exclu- 
sively by foreigners, particularly the English offi- 
cers in the Colombian service, by whom, the first 
mentioned house was established. The economical, 
temperate, and domestic habits of the Spaniard, 
render a noisy hotel extremely unpleasant ; nothing 
but necessity could prompt him to make one his re- 
sidence. 

There are six or eight English merchants in 
Caracas, as many French and other foreigners es- 
tablished, and but two American houses, those of 
Dr. Forsyth, of Virginia, who does much Ameri- 
can commission, business, and enjoys the respect 
of the citizens, and confidence of the government ; 
and Dr. Litchfield, of Baltimore, more recently es- 
tablished. The latter gentleman has married a lady 
of Caracas, and is universally respected and es- 
teemed for his many excellent qualities. 

Some of the ancient nobles still adorn the society 
of Caracas, possessing more worthy marks of dis- 
tinction than a riband can confer, in the love and 
confidence of their fellow citizens, the reward of 
their disinterested devotion to the cause of their 
country. The Count Tovar, elected to the first 
Constituent Assembly, introduced the vote for the 

13 



98 NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

abolition of titles of nobility ; and the Marques del 
Toro was one of the first *to relinquish his title at 
the commencement of the revolution. The latter is 
one of the oldest general officers of the Republic,, 
but lives at present in philosophical retirement at 
the little village of Antimano, a few leagues from 
the city. This gentleman has spent a princely for- 
tune in his country's service. He still possesses a 
splendid competency, and if he regrets the diminu- 
tion of his fortune, it is only because it circum- 
scribes his ability to extend the hospitality of his 
roof, to all who may stand in need of it. An idea of 
the princely extent of the Marques del Toro ? s es- 
tablishment before the revolution cannot be better 
conveyed, than by the fact of his possessing a thou- 
sand gentle horses atone time; nor of his unbounded 
hospitality, than by the mention of a famous enter- 
tainment he gave to a numerous company, which 
lasted twenty days, the expense of each day being 
estimated at one thousand dollars. 

The Marques is always addressed in society by 
his title ; this courtesy is, no doubt, extended to 
him the more willingly, in consideration of the un- 
reservedness with which he came forward and re- 
nounced his pretensions to superiority. Nor is this 
little trait without its moral : it evinces a sedate- 
ness on the part of the republicans in the hour of 
triumph, and an indifference to trifles, which do 
not effect the essence of equality ; and shows that 
the revolution has been conducted in a spirit es- 
sentially different from that, which prompts men in 



LADIES. a9 

their blind zeal to strike at every thing exalted, 
or noble, for no other purpose than to reduce all to 
their own common level. The influence of the 
same feeling has withheld their hands from defac- 
ing monuments of art, because a crown or coronet 
may have been stamped upon the stone. This fa- 
rouche republicanism is rather ultra ; prudery is 
no more a mark of honesty in politicians than in 
women. 

The Ladies of Caracas are rarely to be seen in 
the street, except very early in the morning on their 
way to church. They go in family parties, attended 
by female servants carrying carpets to kneel upon. 
As there are no pews or benches in the churches, 
and as the ceremonies are witnessed on the knees, 
the tasteful little rug is an indispensable part of 
the delicate devotee's church equipage ; for, inde- 
pendently of the extreme painfulness of the pos- 
ture, when continued any length of time, the damp- 
ness of the cold marble or brick pavement would 
be likely to prove injurious to the health without 
them. The dress worn on these occasions is not 
very becoming : it consists of a black veil and pet- 
ticoat. This dress was originally required to be of 
the same stuff', very cheap, for all classes, to re- 
mind the rich of the equality of all ranks in the 
presence of the Creator. It has become very ex- 
pensive, however, being made of the richest silks, 
velvets, and laces. There is, also, much rivalry in 
regard to this dress ; those who can ill afford it un- 
dergoing every privation and sacrifice to equal the 



100 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

splendour of those in more affluent circumstances* 
A mass is usually celebrated before sunrise, to ena- 
ble those to attend whose occupations or want of 
decent clothes forbid them entering the church at a 
later hour. One is also said every hour during the 
morning, so that each has an opportunity of wit- 
nessing this essential ceremony every day. It may 
be owing to this frequent repetition of exercises, that 
so few are to be found engaged in their devotions 
at any one time. Masses are frequently said, in 
very populous towns, to not more than six or eight 
women. The men are much less assiduous ; those 
of a more liberal education, and who enjoy the 
highest offices and consideration, content them- 
selves with attending once a week. 

The ladies appear to much greater advantage at 
home, or at a dinner or evening entertainment, 
when dressed in the European mode. Their com- 
plexions, not as brilliant as those of more northern 
climates, are still sufficiently clear to be highly 
pleasing. Their hair is generally dark, and their 
sparkling eyes, of clear liquid black. Owing to the 
unsettled state of affairs during an exterminating 
war of twelve years, and the want of foreign mas- 
ters, the rising generation are generally deficient in 
acquirements. Some, however, are to be found who 
speak a little English, and a greater number, pos- 
sessing a knowledge of French, united with the 
most amiable and fascinating manners, and other 
female accomplishments. 

Dancing, music, religion, and attention to the 



SERVANTS. 101 

toilet, constitute the employment of their lives. 
Their education is altogether feminine ; aud if they 
yield to ladies of other couutries in the culture of 
the understanding, they excel in those soft blan- 
dishments which are more particularly their pro- 
vince. 

In some houses the servants have no beds, nor do 
they appear to have any fixed place for sleeping ; 
but lie down upon the earthen or brick floors, upon 
a mat or blanket. You not unfrequently stumble 
over them at night in the galleries or paved courts. 
In waiting on table, they hold long conversations 
with their masters and mistresses, laugh without 
restraint at the good things se id, and do not hesi- 
tate to put in their cuchara, (spoon,) even when the 
conversation is between a stranger aud the host. 

One of the greatest annoyances to be met with in 
Caracas, is from intruders, which should never be 
allowed to gain admittance to polite society ; they 
are extremely numerous, and owing to the inter- 
stices in the tile-floors, it is impossible to extirpate 
them. To avoid the attacks of these unpleasant 
animals, the ladies coil their feet under them, plac- 
ing them upon the chair or sofa. The facility with 
which they dispose of their inferior limbs is alto- 
gether surprising, and argues a flexibility, which 
probably may be attributed to the climate. 

The public balls are very splendid, the dresses 
of the ladies very tasteful aud costly, consisting of 
rich laces, gold and silver embroidery, artificial 
flowers, and jewels in great profusion. The com- 



10& * NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

pany assemble between 9 and 40 o'clock. The 
music is fine, and in a very peculiar style. The 
figures of the dances are somewhat like the English 
contra-dances, but much more intricate; elegant 
waltzing being substituted for the awkward racing 
6t down the middle and up again," of the English 
dance. These are alternated with the circular waltz, 
in which the Colombians display much grace, and 
a perfect knowledge of time. At the entertainment 
given on St. Simon's day, the gentlemen carried 
the refreshments to the ladies on waiters, no ser- 
vants being allowed to enter the room. In this de- 
licate attention, the devoted gallantry of the Spa- 
niard is conspicuous. The supper consisted of 
every variety of confectionary, in making which the 
Creoles eminently excel ; and the decorations were 
in the most sumptuous style, and so disposed as to 
have an allusion to the occasion. The wines were 
excellent; rich cordials, Madeira, muscadel, and the 
inspiring champaign flowed in abundance ; yet our 
English vice of excess on these occasions is never 
indulged in by the Colombians. 



CHAPTER VI. 

GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS — CITIES, TOWNS, AND VILLAGES — 
CHURCHES PRIVATE HOUSES. 

AS the cities, towns, and villages of Colombia, 
as well as the public and private buildings, are con- 
structed upon a uniform plan, it may be well to at- 
tempt a general description. Any modifications in 
the particular construction of each, can subse- 
quently be noticed as they present themselves. 

The cities, towns, and villages. — The streets 
are almost invariably straight, cross each other at 
right angles, and, for the most part, in the cardinal 
points, forming blocks or squares of from three to 
five hundred feet a side. They.are from twenty to 
twenty-five feet broad, and, except in the smaller 
villages, neatly paved with rounded stones, having 
the slope to the centre, through which a limpid 
stream flows in most instances, serving for house- 
hold purposes, and giving an air of neatness and 
freshness to the streets. These, when paved, are 
kept exceedingly clean ; not, however, from being 
frequently swept, but on account of an excellent po- 
lice regulation, which forbids any thing offensive 
being thrown into them, which the stream is not ca 
pable of conveying away. The fronts of the houses, 
as well as the streets, are kept in excellent order : 
but the enclosures in the rear present a disgusting 



104 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

mass of filth, the collection of years, which would 
prove injurious to public health in so hot a climate, 
were it not for the extreme dryness of the air, and 
the exertions of a race of scavengers, whose vora- 
cious and indiscriminate appetite prompts them to 
the most offensive food. These animals, called get- 
lipazos, are of the vulture kind, resembling in ap- 
pearance a mixture of the northern crow and the 
buzzard. A tacit convention has been entered in- 
to between these bipeds and those of a species not 
having the advantage of plumage, yielding protec- 
tion for services. They are therefore never molested, 
become very tame, and are seen at all times perch- 
ed upon the roof tops. 

The uniform course in founding a town, appears 
to have been, to lay out a square of from three to 
five hundred feet, which is called the plaza. One 
side is appropriated for the church; that opposite 
for the cabildo; and, if a garrison town, a third side 
is occupied by barracks for the troops. Thus it is 
seen, that the three orders sit in the high places : 
occupying the three sides of the political as well as 
of the municipal square, their connexion and reli- 
ance upon each other for support and countenance, 
are apparent. The power, secured by this disposi 
tion and union, was capable of withstanding for 
three centuries, all encroachments attempted by the 
fourth side, which, as occupied by them, may be 
termed that of the people. 

In many villages^ the square only is built upon, 
In some instances, it is not even completely en- 



CHURCHES. 105 

closed ; but, however small the town, a dispropor- 
tionately large church is always found. As the 
village increases, the sides of the square are pro- 
longed, and insensibly grow into streets. When 
the augmentation of population requires, or the zeal 
of religion prompts it, another church is built, and 
another plaza laid out, usually taking the name of 
the church, to distinguish it from the original, or 
plaza-major. The new square becomes the centre 
of the little community in its immediate vicinity, 
and of the municipal divisions into quarters or 
wards. This continues till the town assumes the 
appearance of a city, when, like Caracas and Bo- 
gota, it may enumerate its six or eight plazas. 

The square in the villages and smaller towns is 
a green plat, having generally a stream of water 
running through it. Here the mules, horses, asses, 
or oxen of the market people graze, under the eye 
of their owners, while engaged in their petty traffic. 
When grown to more importance, the plaza is gra- 
duated and paved, and beautiful fountains of sculp- 
tured stone supply the place of the running stream. 

The plaza, besides serving for reviews of troops, 
religious processions, executions, entertainments, 
bull-fights, and other public spectacles, is the mar- 
ket-place. The lower rooms of the private houses 
enclosing it, are mostly occupied as pulquerias, or 
grocery stores, at which the market people are sup- 
plied with the articles they may wish to purchase, 
after selling their produce. 

Churches. In every town or village, however 
14 



i06 - NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

small, and even at the large haciendas, (planta- 
tions,) there is an immense church. Those of the 
poorer villages are constructed of thick mud walls, 
having thatched roofs with projecting eaves, which 
reach nearly to the ground ; giving to those build- 
ings more the appearance of a cattle-shed, or huge 
hay-stack, than a temple dedicated to the service 
of religion. A continuation of the roof to the front, 
upheld by posts, forms a pent-house protection from 
the sun and rain; under the shelter of which, the 
gossips are seen in little knots, engaged in friendly 
chat, previously to entering the church. Sometimes 
the whole front is open; and, in one instance, at 
Santa-Ana, rendered famous by the meeting of 
Bolivar and Morillo, no part of the large enclosure 
is roofed, except that immediately over the altar. 
In churches of this description, images and pictures 
from the village chisel and pencil, are to be met 
with; as well as engraved portraits of some noted 
women of Europe, baptized and knelt to, as the 
Virgin Mary, represented in the costume and head 
dress of the age of Queen Elizabeth. The altars 
are extremely uncouth, bedaubed with red, blue, 
and yellow paint, and covered with strips of copper 
and tin-foil ; the floors of clay. In some conspi- 
cuous part, a wax, or wood- work image of the 
patron saint, is seated on a gaudy throne, dressed 
in flimsy finery, supplied from the scanty wardrobes 
of the d%vout dames of the place. In the church of 
Santa- Ana, which is principally in view, the can- 
dlesticks of the altar are of common clay,, neither 











s 
\ 

5 




' 


i 




\ 


| 




Garden 




HOUSES. 107 

burnt nor glazed ; this, however, is a temple of the 
poorest description. All the churches in the coun- 
try are built upon the same general plan, differing 
but in unimportant details ; in the materials, from 
the wattling of canes* plastered with mud, to the 
rammed clay walls, and those constructed of beau- 
tiful stone ; and in the richness of the decorations ; 
all of which circumstances depending upon the 
greater or less wealth of the community, the churches 
of every class may be considered as forming an in- 
termediate chain, between the humble temple of 
Santa- Ana and the magnificent cathedral of Bogota. 

Houses are generally built but one story high, to 
guard as much as possible against the effects of 
earthquakes. Some of the more splendid build- 
ings of Caracas and Valencia, however, are of two 
'stories. After passing Pamplona, that mode of 
construction becomes common in the better order of 
houses, and continues to the capital. 

That the regularity observable in all the towns 
is the result of instructions from Madrid, appears 
highly probable. There is but a single plan ; after 
seeing one town, nothing new must be expected 
from viewing any other. One would also be inclined 
to suppose, that the Council of the Indies did not 
think the construction of private houses beneath 
their attention, or without the control of their au- 
thority; for, it can scarcely be supposed, that the 
emigrants would so closely follow in the footsteps 
of their forefathers, as to build their houses on 
nearly the same plan, in every variety of climate. 



\ 








^ 



I 

I 



x 








/ 



108 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

unless some restraint had been imposed upon them* 
To describe one, therefore, is to give an idea of 
all. 

The materials vary according to the climate or 
elevation, aud the facility of procuring them, from 
the common cane, of which the houses on the Mag- 
dalena are constructed, to the more durable ones 
of stone, or brick either burut or merely baken in 
the sun, and mortar. But by far the most common 
material, (and this applies to very excellent houses, 
as well as to the most indifferent,) is the soil taken 
indiscriminately from the vicinity of the spot se- 
lected for the building, which is mixed with a little 
lime, straw, and water. This compound is called 
tapia. 

A large bed of this moistened earth being pre- 
pared, a form or mould of planks about five feet" 
long, three feet high, and twenty-two inches thick, 
held together with clamps and wedges, and with- 
out top or bottom, is placed upon a part of the line 
traced out for the structure. The earth is then 
thrown into the form by men, provided with small 
sacks made of raw hides; while two others who 
stand inside the mould beat it down with rammers 
till it becomes compact ; more is ad^ed till the form 
is filled. The wedges and clamps are then taken 
off, aud the planks of the mould removed, leaving 
a mass of rammed earth of the shape and dimen- 
sions of the form, resembling a large unburnt 
brick placed upon its edge. This operation is con- 
tinued, taking care to let the lower course become 



HOUSES. 109 

somewhat hardened in the sun before a second is 
superadded, as well as to break the joints, to* in 
crease the strength, till the walls are raised to the 
requisite height. It may easily be imagined, that 
walls constructed in this way are neither f very ac- 
curate in plumb nor direction ; they are strong 
enough, however, and when plastered, sufficiently 
durable in a climate not invaded by frost, and en- 
joying a temperature ranging but a few degrees in 
the most temperate part of the scale. These walls 
plastered and whitewashed on the out as well as 
the inside, look, at a little distance, nearly as well 
as if they were built of marble. 

The carpentry, although of the best materials, 
from the many valuable woods afforded by the 
country, is roughly put together, exceedingly 
heavy, evincing much want of skill in the work- 
men. It is only in the better order of houses that 
the wood-work is painted ; in the more splendid, 
there is some gilding. The houses in the towns are 
all covered with curved tiles of earthenware, about 
sixteen inches long and six broad ; two rows are 
first placed, the concave side upwards, the joint 
being covered with a third row reversed. Those in 
the small villages are thatched with straw, or more 
frequently with rushes or palm leaves, the eaves, 
in every instance, projecting three or four feet. 

Although the houses vary in their details, the 
following is the general plan of construction. The 
house in view in the description, is oue of the better 
order, of two stories, and situated on a plaza, 



110 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

The front on the square, 68 feet ; depth, 140 feet 
The body of the building is in the form of a hollow 
square, enclosing a neatly paved court, incliniug 
gently to the centre, where a drain is sunk to carry 
off the rain from the roofs. These, on the side 
buildings, slope inwards ; half of those of the front 
and rear buildings inclining, one to the street, the 
other to a second square. This second square is en- 
closed in front by the rear building of the first 
square, and on one side by the kitchen, the other 
two sides being completed by mud walls fifteen 
feet high. This square is also paved, and has its 
drain. Extending backwards are two other squares, 
enclosed by high mud walls, the first containing 
offices, and serving as the receptacle of filth from 
the kitchen, the last appropriated as a garden ; the 
whole depth of the plat being two hundred and 
twenty-six feet, divided as follows : The front 
building, thirty-six feet, (the side buildings being 
but fourteen ;) the square court, forty feet ; the rear 
building, twenty-four feet; second court, forty 
feet; third enclosure, thirty-six feet; garden, fifty 
feet. 

The only entrance to this structure, which ap- 
pears to have been built upon the principle that 
every man's house is his castle, is by a great door, 
calculated to admit a horseman with ease; it be- 
ing the custom for visiters to ride into the house, 
dismounting in the court, at the foot of the stairs. 
The front rooms on the ground floor, are rented for 
stores, or grocery shops ; they have each a door 



HOUSES. Ill 

opening into the street, but no window, and are 
not connected with the house. The side rooms of 
the basement story, are roughly finished, and serve 
to store forage ; the rear of the same story being 
the stable, and the space under the kitchen serving 
for the same purpose. Thus it is seen, that no 
part of the lower story is occupied by the family. 

The entrance is neatly paved, and secured at 
night by two doors or gates, which remain open 
during the day — one being the street door, the 
other, situated at the extremity of the passage, 
formed by the end of the shop. After passing 
the second door, you turn to the right, and face 
the foot of the staircase, which is at the oppo- 
site extremity of the building. On passing to this, 
you have a view of the paved court and galle- 
ries overhanging it, on the left hand, through three 
well-proportioned arches, as well as of the stables 
beyond, furnished with a corresponding number of 
arches ; serving to diminish, in some degree, the ex- 
tremely heavy appearance of the structure, caused 
by the enormously thick walls, and the small num- 
ber and diminutive size of the doors and windows. 
It is in this passage you leave your horse, shelter- 
ed from the sun or rain, and continuing onwards, 
mount the staircase, which leads to a spacious en-, 
try or hall, having three arches opening into the 
gallery of the court on one side, the entrance to the 
sitting room being on the other. 

•The court on the second story is surrounded by 
a gallery, covered by a continuation of the roof sup- 



118 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

ported on pillars. This gallery, about five feet 
wide, furnished with balustrades, serves to commu- 
nicate with the different rooms, which all open into 
it, as well as with the passage leading through the 
rear building to the kitchen, also on the second 
story, and furnished, in like manner, with its gal- 
lery of communication, looking into its proper 
square. 

From the hall, at the head of the stairs, you pass 
to the sitting-room. This room communicates with 
the balcony by a glazed folding door. On the 
right is the chamber of state, appropriated for stran- 
gers, having one window in front. To the left is a 
large folding door, opening into the dining-room, 
which has two glazed windows extending to the 
floor, opening like folding doors, and conducting 
also to the balcony, which commands a view of the 
street and plaza. These three rooms may be thrown 
into one, thus affording accommodation for the 
largest private entertainment, being sixty-eight feet 
in length. Adjoining the dining-room, are those of 
the butler, which communicate wiih the gallery 
leading to the kitchen. Opposite, are chambers, 
and in the rear, over the stable, a large ball or sup- 
per room. 

All the rooms and galleries are floored with square 
tiles or bricks, which, when not put together with 
great nicety, become uneven, and frequently sink 
under the tread, and serve as hiding places for 
swarms of fleas. These pavements are the moFe 
to be reprobated, as they conceal the beautiful wood 



HOUSES* 118 

aipon wbich they are laid. This wood, which re- 
sembles an inferior kind of mahogany, is the cedar 
of the country, and would furnish an excellent ma- 
terial for floors. 

The motive for adhering to the tile pavements 
cannot be imagined, as they must be more expensive 
than wood ; and no fires are to be apprehended, the 
kitchen being the only apartment endangered by 
this cause. 

The kitchens are furnished with a range of small 
furnaces of brick- work, ten inches square, elevated 
as high as the breast, and extending along one side 
of the apartment. Each furnace is intended to cook 
but one dish at a time, the fire being made with a 
handful of charcoal, or a small faggot. A large 
flue, under which the cook stands while engaged in 
her business, semes to carry off the smoke through 
its aperture ; but there are no chimnies rising above 
the roof. 

Ceilings are very rare, as even in the best houses 
the rafters of the roof are exposed to view, as well 
as the stretchers, laid across to brace the walls. 

The windows are without shutters, and are not 
glazed, except in a few houses, in the cold climates ; 
sashes and weights are not used, but the glass 
frames open on hinges, like folding doors. As the 
walls of the houses are very thick, embrasures are 
cut nearly through them, and seats are formed un- 
der the windows, in the thickness of the wall. All 
the windows are secured with bars of iron or wood ; 
those in front project ten or twelve inches into the 

10 



114 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

street, something like bulk-windows, enabling one 
to project the head beyond the line of houses, and 
thus command a view up and down the street. 

These grated windows have altogether a very 
disagreeable appearance, suggesting the idea of 
confinement and restraint ; for which purpose they 
were doubtless introduced in a former age, by the 
suspicious jealousy of the Spaniards, in order to 
render more difficult the stolen interviews between 
the gallant cabalhro and his lovely enamorata, 
made faithless by the injurious want of confidence 
and the unmanly usage of her lord. Manners are 
now changed, yet the ancient usage is kept up. 
From the disproportionate number of women in this 
country, jealousy is transferred to the sex most alive 
to its impression, and least able to guard against its 
cause, or withstand its blasting effects. 

The window-frames, balustrades, and doors, are 
the only wood-work exposed to view; the latter 
are handsomely panelled and painted, or curiously 
carved ; the two former generally remain unpaint- 
ed. In the warm climates, a small insect destroys 
the carpenter- work of the houses, by reducing the 
wood to powder. 

The house just described is built of bricks baked 
in the sun, upon a foundation of stone, rising a few 
inches above the ground, to guard against moisture. 
When built on any of the public squares, the houses, 
if of two stories, are uniformly furnished with a bal- 
cony, affording an opportunity of seeing to advan- 
tage the religious processions, bull-fights, and other 
shows which take place in them. 



CHAPTER VIL 

JOURNEY DEPARTURE PROM CARACAS SAN-PEDRO VIC- 
TORIA SAN-MATEO BOLIVAR SUGAR PLANTATION 

MARACAV VALENCIA LAKE TACARIGUA PEASANTRY 

AGUAS CALIENTES. 

November 12th. Through the good offices of our 
attentive host, Dr. Forsyth, having completed our 
purchases — of camp equipage, blankets, hammocks, 
and oil-cloth cloaks ; tea, sugar, chocolate, and a 
keg of crackers; four excellent mules, which cost 
from one hundred and thirty, to one hundred and 
seventy dollars apiece, saddles, bridles, &c. — and 
being provided with two servants, a negro, Peter, 
from one of the islands, who spoke French, Eng- 
lish, and Spanish, and a Creole of Caracas, Manuel, 
•who spoke only his native tongue — we reduced our 
baggage to the smallest compass, hired three mules 
for its transportation as far as Valencia, with two 
others for the servants, and set out at ten o'clock 
this morning, escorted by our kind Caracanian 
friends, on our journey to Bogota. 

We stopped about noon at a miserable venta, 
or muleteer's baiting place, at Las-Ajuntas, the 
meeting of San-Pedro and Macarao, too small 
rivers, which form the Guayra, nine miles from 
town, to take some refreshment. We could scarcely 
credit the assertion of Dr. Forsyth, that the dis- 
gusting fare now presented, and the miserable hovel 



116 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

which sheltered us, would prove highly acceptable 
before we got to our journey's end. We felt in- 
clined to attribute the friendly remonstrances, now 
urgently repeated, against our undertaking the 
journey, to a polite expression of concern for our 
welfare, an over estimate of the difficulties, and an 
under valuation of our capability of enduring fa- 
tigue. 

We took leave of our friends in high confidence,, 
and began to ascend the group of mountains called 
Higuerote, which separates the valley of Caracas 
from that of Aragua, by the mountain Buenavista. 
This mountain richly deserves its name; it com- 
mands a fine view of Caracas, from an elevation 
above the sea, determined by Humboldt, of five 
thousand three hundred and thirty-six feet. The 
descent to San-Pedro is about one thousand nine 
hundred and eighteen feet, which leaves three thou- 
sand four hundred and eighteen feet for the eleva- 
tion of that village. 

We arrived in the evening at San-Pedro, twelve 
miles, making for our first day's journey twenty - 
one miles. 

The mountain road, which affords some of the 
most extensive views, resembles that from La 
Guayra to Caracas, in its being formed in a trench, 
and in its perpetual windings ; but it is not paved. 
In ascending, I found some asbestos, but had 
neither time nor implements to dig out a good spe- 
cimen. 

At San-Pedro, the vacant house assigned as ta 



VICTORIA. 117 

hang our hammocks in for the night, was half a 
mile from the pulqueria. As it was dark by the 
time the baggage and mules were taken care of., 
we found some difficulty in groping the way to our 
repast. We at length sat down to some goose and 
garlic, eggs, bread, bacon, and a bottle of claret, 
in a small box partitioned off from the public 
room, filled with carousing muleteers. After a 
cheerful supper, we retraced the way to our villa, 
in the outskirts of the town, hung our hammocks, 
and, after a contest of some duration between the 
novelty of our situation, suspended from rafters in 
the form of the letter U, the attacks of flees, and our 
fatigue, tired nature at length succeeded in obtain- 
ing her sweet restorer. 

We arose early next morning, and had an op- 
portunity of seeing the little irregular town of San= 
Pedro, noted for its manufacture of excellent cot- 
ton hammocks. 

November 13th. Set out early — crossed the 
mountain Coquisas by a steep, narrow, ditch- like 
road, which, in time of rains, becomes the channel 
of torrents; its perpendicular sides exposing strata 
of slate, micacious schistus, and indurated clay. 
Stopped during the heat of the day, for two hours* 
at the house of the Alcalde of the little village 
Consejo, and arrived in the evening at Victoria, 
twenty-five miles. 

Here we took up our quarters for the night, at 
the house of Major M'Farland, a foreign officer in. 
the Colombian service, for whom we had letters. 
The Major was absent on duty, but his house- 



118 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

keeper provided a repast of eggs, fowls, bread? 
rice, inilk and chocolate, for a few reals. 

Victoria is in 10° 13' 35" north latitude, on the 
margin of the small river Calenchas, which contri- 
butes to the river Aragua. It is situated, therefore, 
in the basin of the Lake of Valencia, called the 
Valley of Aragua, into which that river empties it- 
self. The cultivated land in the neighbourhood of 
Victoria, at an elevation above the sea of only one 
thousand nine hundred feet, presents the rare spec- 
tacle of the sugar cane, the coffee tree, the banana, 
and the cotton and indigo shrubs, growing in per- 
fection in the same fields with farinaceous grain, of 
an excellent quality. The wheat, sown in Decem- 
ber, is harvested in seventy -five days, and yields 
sixteen for one ; the mean return in France, of the 
same grain, being, according to Lavoisier, but six 
to one. Yet, notwithstanding this superiority in 
fruitfulness over one of the best grain countries of 
Europe, it is found much more advantageous to 
cultivate the sugar cane. Cacao was chiefly culti- 
vated in this valley previously to 1772? when it be- 
gan to yield to indigo; but this was found to im- 
poverish the land to such a degree, that cacao was 
again resorted to, in conjunction with cotton and 
coffee. The indigo is now cultivated in the exten= 
sive plains of Varinas and Cucuta. 

November i^th. Setting out early, we stopped 
to breakfast at San-Mateo, the hacienda of the Li- 
berator, situated in the environs of the town of the 
same name, and in the far-famed valley of Aragua, 
We carried letters from Madam C*** ? to the gen- 



BOLIVAR. 119 

tleman who rents the plantation of the President; 
for three or four thousand dollars a year. It for- 
merly yielded a princely revenue ; but having been 
twice ravaged and destroyed by the. royalists, it 
now only furnishes the above named sum, upon 
which its disinterested owner has contrived to sup- 
port himself and family, without drawing upon the 
scantily supplied treasury of his country. 

The president, Simon Bolivar, descended from 
European parents, was born in Caracas. He inhe- 
rited the rank of Marques, but never assumed the 
title. His age, in 18S3, was about forty-two years : 
but the fatigues and hardships to which he has 
been exposed, during twelve years, give him the 
appearance of being more advanced. He received 
a good education, has had the advantage of visiting 
Europe, and on his return, resided a short time in 
Charleston, S. C. 

Possessing ei a frame of adamant and a soul of 
fire," he is alike impassible to the effects of mental 
or bodily exertions. Born in, and accustomed to, the 
mildest and most equable climate in the world, he 
has repeatedly crossed the ever- frozen Andes, the 
grave of so many of his companions ; in one short day 
experiencing the extremes of the pole and equator, 
without appearing to be sensible of the vicissitudes 
he was undergoing. At one time, holding the des- 
tinies of nations in the grasp of his dictatorial 
power, at another, a "vagabond"* in the islands, on 

* As he expresses himself in his imperfect English. 



120 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

the point of falling a victim to the assassin's knife,, 
he is still the same ; the same thoughts engross his 
mind, the same energies are employed for his 
country's emancipation ; to the accomplishment of 
which, he has devoted his life and fortune. 

The victor of a hundred battles, he has not 
grown confident by success, but possesses the rare 
faculty of being a Fabius or a Murat, as circum- 
stances require the most timid caution, or the most 
daring intrepidity. 

That Bolivar is ambitious, cannot be denied ; but 
his ambition has no view to himself, nor is it confined 
exclusively to his own country. He spilt his latest 
blood in the cause of Peru, and Buenos Ayres has 
acknowledged his efficient aid. The minister of the 
government over which he presides was withdrawn 
from Mexico, when a faction usurped the rights of 
the people ; and he has frequently been heard to 
say that he never would sheath his sword, till 
every hostile Spaniard was driven from the soil of 
America ; disdaining that timid policy, which suf- 
fers legitimates to succour each other, while it with- 
holds the hand of assistance from expiring repub- 
lics. 

During the darkest periods of the revolution, he 
never suffered himself for a moment to doubt of the 
republic. Whether we view him at the head of 
his victorious troops, hailed as the Liberator of his 
country ; or follow him in his exiles, pledging his 
own fortune and credit for his country's benefit, he 
is alike worthy of admiration. 



BOLIVAR. 181 

In disinterestedness he is not surpassed. Twice 
his patrimonial estates have been laid waste by fire 
and sword ; yet he lives upon the wreck without 
fourthening his country. The command he pos- 
sesses over himself is not the least worthy of com- 
mendation. When entrusted by the congress of 
Cucuta with the supreme command, and ordered to 
carry his troops to relieve Carthagena, he had the 
power to chastise his refractory inferior. But no 
feelings of jealousy or wounded pride were attend- 
ed to. He with some difficulty obliged his troops 
to co-operate with his rival, and rather than create 
dissension, removed himself from the scene of con- 
tention. 

It is customary to compare Bolivar with Wash- 
ington. If the Liberator crown his work, by a 
termination as brilliant as his career has been thus 
far, History will draw the parallel, and she may 
find many points of argreement, although the de- 
velopment of the character of each has been influ- 
enced by the different scenes, in which they have 
been called upon to act. 

The same disinterestedness, perseverance, devo- 
tion, and love of true glory, are to be found in each. 
Washington had a people formed to his hands, ac- 
customed to self-government ; whose minds were 
vigorous and free; whose consciences were un- 
warped by religious prejudices, and unshackled by 
priestly tyrants. Bolivar had to war with ancient 
aud deep-rooted prejudices; to encounter ignorance, 
disunion, treachery, and the ambition of contending 

16 



„• 



122, NOTES ON COLOMBIA., 

chiefs, separated by a wide extent of country, un= 
known to, and distrustful of each other. 

The courage of one was passive, that of the other 
active. One regretted all his life the necessity 
which impelled him to sacrifice a single man to the 
usages of war; the other, convinced of the unavoid- 
ableness of the measure, ordered a regiment to exe- 
cution, and dismissed the matter for ever from his 
thoughts. The first was obliged to govern himself 
by public opinion, which was competent to decide 
upon his acts : the second controls and forces opi- 
nion, and fearlessly assumes the responsibility of 
his deeds, trusting that the motive and the end will 
prove his justification. The aim of one was to se- 
cure ascendancy over the understanding ; that of the 
other, to move the passions, to excite enthusiasm^ 
and govern by the prestige of his name. 

The mansion-house of the President is situated 
on a commanding hill, a short distance from the 
road ; but being in a ruinous state, we were enter- 
tained with a profusion of good things, in apartments 
fitted up in the sugar manufactory. During our 
stay, we had an opportunity of witnessing the pro- 
cess, by which the juice of the cane, expressed by 
means of iron rollers, turned by a water power, is 
converted, by boiling and filtration, into white sugar. 

" The cane common to the islands was made use 
of on the Spanish Main, previously to the year 
179S. About this time, that from Otaiti was sub- 
stituted, on account of its many advantages ; it 
ripens in twelve months, whereas that from the 



SUGAR PLANTATION. 1S8 

islands required sixteen; it is double the size, 
much higher, and yields more juice. The sugar, 
however, contained much less saccharine quality 
than that afforded by the canes of the islands. The 
cane of Otaiti has in its turn given place to that 
formerly cultivated. The consumers of Europe 
were not slow to discover, that an increase in bulk 
did not furnish a corresponding increase in the 
principle which they sought; a diminution of price 
was the result." 

" When the cane is cut to extract its juice, about 
a foot of the top is cut off and planted, to form a 
new crop; these cuttings are arranged in rows about 
three or six feet apart, according to the soil, laid 
horizontally in a small trench about six inches deep, 
covered entirely with earth, or placed obliquely, so 
as to expose four or five inches above ground. The 
latter method is called planting en canon, and is 
resorted to in marshy ground, from an apprehen- 
sion of the cane's rotting. Irrigation is necessary 
and much resorted' to." 

" The cane will furnish five crops, each succes- 
sive cutting, however, yields less than the preced- 
ing, after which it must be replanted. The cane 
as soon as cut is brought to the mill, consisting of 
three rollers, moved by water or other power, the 
juice immediately on being expressed, is conveyed 
in troughs to a large boiler, whence it is ladled to 
a fourth and fifth, and after being scummed fre- 
quently is left to granulate and cleanse itself of 
impurities, in conical earthen vessels. Alkali is 



124 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

used in the first cauldron, to form a combination 
with the acid, this produces a strong ebullition and 
rising of scum, which is removed as soon as 
formed."* 

While at San-Mateo, I clambered up the emi- 
nence to examine the mansion-house. It was com- 
pletely dilapidated, the shade-trees cut down, ter- 
races and porticos in ruins, and the garden spot 
covered with weeds. But a fine view is presented 
from the piazza of the plantation, which extends 
about two miles, to the village of San-Mateo, and 
is traversed by a winding rivulet of limpid water. 

We proceeded on our journey and arrived in the 
evening at Maracay, passing on the route the vil- 
lage Turinero. On arriving at the pretty village 
of Maracay, we rode into the plaza, aud while ad- 
miring the fine, well constructed, stone church, in 
doubt which way to turn our steps to find a shelter; 
the Alcalde came up and relieved us from embar- 
rassment, by billetting us in a comfortable house, 
kept by a widow lady. We dismounted in the 
square court, secured the baggage, and gave the 
usual directions to procure forage for the mules. 
The stalks of young Indian corn, and the unground 
grain, constitute the food of these animals. 

Five or six women, the inmates of our lodging 
house, were amusingly inquisitive : the relationship 
of those composing the party, their ages, whether 
they were married or single, the object of their 

* Depons. 



MARACAY. 125 

journey, and a thousand questions, were put with 
the greatest volubility. We hung our hammocks in 
the principal room, and took a luxurious swing, 
While preparations were going on for our supper, 
which consisted of a fowl, eggs, bread, and choco- 
late. The next morning, on sending the Creole 
servant to inquire the amount of our fare, he 
brought for answer, that there was nothing to pay, 
as we had been sent by the government. 

The towns and villages are governed by Coun- 
cils and Alcaldes, appointed for one year. There 
are two in each village ; the second being the Al- 
calde of the preceding year. The chief carries the 
baton of justice; it is usually a handsome cane, 
having a silver or golden head. As he never stirs 
out of his house without this distinguishing mark 
of authority, strangers find no difficulty as to whom 
to address on business. 

It is the duty of the Alcalde to regulate, with the 
assistance of the Council, the affairs of the town — 
to publish laws — answer requisitions for men, 
arms, or contributions — make the necessary pre- 
parations for the celebration of anniversaries — fur- 
nish rations, quarters, and mules, for troops pass- 
ing through his village — and to take care of the 
public beasts, and furnish them, on proper applica- 
tion, to travellers, soldiers, or for the use of the 
post. 

From the circumstance of the Alcalde's house 
being always in the same relative situation in the 
plaza, it would appear that it is furnished by the 



1^6 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

public. There is, besides, in almost all the towns, 
a confiscated house, appropriated for the accommo- 
dation of officers and other travellers ; frequently, 
however, it is unoccupied, and without furniture, 
merely affording a shelter and rings by which to 
sling your hammock. In other instances, it con- 
tains some articles of furniture, and is occupied by 
a poor family, who, for this advantage, take care 
of the house, and provide the traveller with the ne- 
cessaries he may require. 

November 15. Set out very early this morning ; 
passed the village of San-Joaquin, the fort Cabra- 
ra, at the head of the beatiful Lake of Valencia, 
and rode for many miles on its border, refreshed 
by the sight of its fruitful banks, and the groups 
of islands reflected upon its tranquil surface. Our 
route continued through finely cultivated hacien- 
das, some of them enclosed by hedges of lime- 
trees, extending along the road for miles. We rode 
through the villages Gruacara and Guaro, and ar- 
rived in the evening at Valencia, a distance of 
thirty-five miles, one of our longest journeys ; hav- 
ing traversed, over mountainous roads, the distance 
of a hundred and one miles in four days. 

We presented our letters at the house of Seiior 
Penal ver, one of the Senators of the republic, and 
were kindly received and entertained by his sister, 
who did the honours of the house, till the owner re- 
turned from his plantation, a few leagues from 
town. 

November 16. We had intended to remain in 



VALENCIA. 127 

Valencia but a day or two, but unavoidable circum- 
stances detained our party till the twenty-eighth of 
this month. A desire to see General Paez, expected 
in a few days from Caracas, and whom we had met 
on the mountain Coquisas, though without recog- 
nising him, would have been a strong motive for a 
few days delay, even if the state of our mules had 
not rendered it absolutely necessary. The weather 
had been extremely<hot, our journeys too long, and 
having, through inexperience, strapped valices and 
cloaks behind our saddles, without sufficient pads, 
the pounding of these weights had raised large tu- 
mours on the backs of our mules, and rendered 
them incapable of proceeding. 

The city of Valencia, in N. lat. 10° 9' 56" and 
8° 30' 30" E. long, from Washington, was founded 
by Alonso Dias Morino, in 1555, on the borders 
of the lake Tacarigua, at an elevation of 1530 feet 
above the sea. 

Its population, (in 1823,) about 13,000. 

The temperature during our stay, 82°, mean 
temperature during the year, 77-9°, Fahr. 

The valley in which Valencia is built, called the 
valley of Aragua, is noted for its fine soil and cli- 
mate, and the beauty of its singular and picturesque 
lake. It is enclosed on the side of the sea, by the 
littoral chain of mountains which skirts the whole 
coast. The distance from the city, built about a 
mile from the margin of the lake, to its sea-port, 
Puerto Cabello,* one of the finest harbours known, 

* The idea intended to be conveyed by this name is, that' 



128 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

is sixteen or eighteen miles. The road is at pre- 
sent good for mules, and can easily be made so for 
carriages. At this time, the port, as well as the 
passes in the mountains, being in possession of the 
royalists,* there is no communication with its capi- 
tal ; so that the produce of this fruitful, extensive, 
and well-cultivated valley, is transported over 
mountainous roads to La Gruayra, by the way of 
Caracas, a distance of one hundred and seven miles. 
Valencia is built on the usual plan ; the houses 
are generally of one story, but those enclosing the 
plaza, formerly occupied by the civil and ecclesias- 
tical dignitaries, are very elegant buildings of two 
stories. The principal church, now partly in ruins 
from the earthquake, is still a fine structure. The 
government house, forming one side of the square, 
is occupied by the troops. The number quartered 
in the city and its immediate neighbourhood, is 
about three thousand, consisting of the remains of 
the English battalion, the grenadiers, Carabobos, 
and some other regiments, under the command of 
the German Colonel Ursler. These troops paraded 
every day in the plaza, where I first witnessed the 
ceremony of prayer by sound of the bugle. At 
the signal, each man raised his hand to his cap, 

a vessel may be moored by a hair, (cabello.) The largest 
vessels approach so near the shore, that a landing can be ef- 
fected on a plank. 

* This important post has since been taken by the Colom- 
bians. It was the last spot on the soil of the republic sullied 
by the presence of the Spaniards. 



TROOPS. 129 

muttered a few words, and then resumed his former 
position. These troops are fine robust looking men, 
principally negroes and casts, they are tolerably 
well drilled, after the English system of tactics. 
Their equipment and clothing are good, except in 
the article of shoes, all, or nearly all, being bare- 
footed ; though this arises as much from the dislike 
of the soldiers to the restraint of a shoe, as to the 
want of supply. From habit, they make the longest 
marches barefooted, over the roughest roads, with- 
out sustaining the least injury, when by marching in 
shoes, one-half are disabled through lameness. The 
soldiers receive one real, (twelve and a half cents,) 
which is paid daily, and is in full for service and sub- 
sistence. Every morning, the plaza is crowded with 
them, assembled for the purpose of purchasing their 
daily food ; this consists of rice, or Indian corn 5 
made into a cake, called hoyo, of plantains, a small 
portion of lard, and a morsel of beef or pork. A 
small cake of ungranulated brown sugar, called 
papelon, eaten alone or with bread, is frequently 
purchased by them ; and they contrive to reserve a 
half real for their favourite guarapo, a fermented 
liquor as strong as beer. 

The Lake of Valencia, which M. de Humboldt, 
to save himself the trouble of minute description, 
compares to the lac de Constance, so well known 
to those for whom he wrote, and consecrated as the 
fairy region of love and poetry, by Rousseau, is 
sprinkled with numerous islands ; some just elevat- 
ing their velvet slopes above the bosom of the lake^ 

17 



130 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

others of greater elevation, covered with the most 
luxuriant vegetation, and many elevating their 
rocky sides to a great height, presenting the most 
picturesque and enchanting scenery. It is about 
thirty miles long, with an unequal breadth of from 
four to nine miles, and an average depth of from 
seventy to ninety feet. 

The lake is fed by twelve or fourteen rivulets, 
called rios, and has no outlet ; this has given rise 
to various surmises, in regard to subterranean pas- 
sages to carry off the water, which is constantly 
pouring into the lake. But exposed to so powerful 
a sun, and in an atmosphere so free from moisture, 
the evaporation must be sufficient to explain its 
want of increase. The Marques del Toro caused 
a granite column to be constructed some years since 
in the bed of the lake ; from subsequent observa- 
tions it appears, that the waters are diminishing. 
On inquiring of Senor Penalver, I found his opi- 
nion to be, that the increase and diminution of the 
water depend upon a cycle, determined by a suc- 
cession of seasons ; and that after diminishing for a 
series of years, the surface by degrees approaches 
its original elevation. That a cycle of this nature 
does exist, is highly probable; yet the progress of 
cultivation, which has the effect of increasing the 
evaporation from the surface of the soil, by exposing 
it to the direct rays of the sun, as the forests are 
removed, presents one cause of diminution; and the 
employment of the tributary streams for the pur- 
poses of irrigation, suggests a second. But, although 



LAKE TACARIGUA. 131 

in the progress of time, these causes may diminish 
the volume of water, it by no means follows that 
the lake will ever be totally desiccated. Those who 
dread the predictions, which would convert the 
pride of Valencia into a pestiferous swamp, may 
yet live to see its tranquil surface furrowed by the 
prows of steam-boats. 

The following singular fact relative to the lake 
of Valencia, is given by Humboldt : — About the 
end of the seventeenth century, the river Pao, which 
flowed into the lake from the south, was diverted 
from its course by a planter, in order to employ a 
part of its waters to irrigate his fields. After ac- 
complishing his purpose, he suffered the river to 
flow at discretion down the opposite slope of the 
mountain, towards the south. After joining three 
other small rivers, the Tinaco, the Gruanarito, and 
the Chilua, the united stream empties into the Por- 
tuguesa, a branch of the Apure, and thus finds its 
way to the ocean by the mouth of the Orinoco. 

The stone bridge by which Valencia is entered, 
is much to be admired for its beauty and excellent 
workmanship. It was constructed by Moriilo, some 
of the most distinguished patriots, chained in cou- 
ples, assisting in the work. Colonel Ursler, the 
present military governor, then a prisoner in chains 
and rags, and half starved, was, as he stated him- 
self, employed in this very structure. 

During our prolonged stay in Valencia, I rode 
much in the environs; one day to the margin of the 
lake. The land is very flat, covered with rank 



133 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

vegetation, and but little cultivated. It is so low, 
that six or eight feet rise in the water would bring 
the border of the lake to the foot of the town. From 
the appearance of these extensive prairies, and the 
mass of vegetation, one would be led to expect the 
prevalence of fevers ; and, in fact, those who live 
near the shores do not escape, though the unhealth- 
fulness does not extend to the city. On another 
occasion I went to examine a cave, the situation of 
which had been described to me, but I was unsuc- 
cessful in the search. In these excursions, as I 
paid no attention to the time of day, but rode fre- 
quently at noon, I more than once attracted the no- 
tice of the country people, who, accustomed to con- 
sider the mid-day as the season of repose, could 
scarcely regard one as in possession of his senses,? 
who rode, as I explained I did, merely for the plea- 
sure of riding and seeing the country. One day I 
accepted the invitation of a countryman, to take 
shelter from the scorching sun, under his thatched 
cane hut, and was much amused at his earnest re- 
monstrances against the danger of heating the blood, 
or a stroke of the sun. He said, in answer to my 
questions, that he only worked early in the morning 
and in the evening; that even he, acclimated as he 
was, could not stand such exposure. I could not 
help thinking, that these good indolent people make 
use of the same reasoning which the negroes are 
said to attribute to monkeys, to account for their not 
speaking. If, however, this inability to bodily ex- 
ertion do really exist, it must be ascribed either to 



PEASANTRY. 133 

the debilitating effects of an enervating climate on 
successive generations, or to the want of a more 
generous diet; as I found my own ability to undergo 
fatigue not in the least degree diminished. 

My hospitable entertainer presented me with 
plantains, sweet potatoes, some guarapo, and a 
segaR On handing his wife, who had prepared this 
repast, two reals, she at first refused to accept them. 
The old man embraced my knees, saying every 
thing was free in his house; and a young woman 
present exclaimed, los Engleses pagan por todas, 
(Englishmen pay for every thing.) All seemed 
astonished that any one should offer to pay for so 
slight a service. 

While receiving the benedictions and grateful 
thanks of these happy people, contemplating their 
habitual placidity of temper, indicated by the sere- 
nity of countenances unfurrowed by a single seam 
of passion or of care, and admiring their fascinating 
simplicity, primitive manners, and unbounded hos- 
pitality — the contrast of this state of society, with 
that to which I had been accustomed, presented 
itself in the strongest light. If these amiable 
beings were in more civilised countries, they 
would find, that nothing was to be obtained with- 
out money ; and that so far from meeting expres- 
sions of solicitude for their health, they might be 
spurned from the door, though dying for want of 
food or shelter. 

The person of the visiter is frequently remarked 
upon : 1 suppose I have heard fifty exclamations 



134i NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

made upon the whiteness of the skin. So great is 
the simplicity of these people, that many are to be 
met with, into whose minds, the idea of a language 
different from the Spanish never intruded itself. If 
they are not understood while speaking, they set 
you down as deaf, and deafen you with bawling, 
or regard you as the most stupid of created beings. 

One day, after an unsuccessful attempt of a good 
dame to make herself understood, and after she 
had in vain endeavoured to comprehend my awk- 
ward attempts, she called one of her children, 
about seven or eight years old, who, as is frequently 
the case, was in a perfect state of nudity, and with 
motherly satisfaction proceeded to convince me that 
even he could speak, small as he was. Shortly af- 
terwards, on seeing me take down a spur which 
was hanging against the wall, and apply it to my 
heel to ascertain, as I wished to purchase one., 
whether it would suit my boot, she gave a look of 
approbation to some person present, and remarked, 
" he knows the use of it !" and appeared much 
gratified to find I was not such a cursed fool as she 
took me for. 

November 23d. Mounted my mule this morn- 
ing, at six, A. M., to visit a thermal spring called 
Las aguas calientes, about three leagues from Va- 
lencia. Passed through Agua-Nagua, a small vil 
lage, the scene of a late action between Morales 
and General Paez, and about a mile beyond was 
stopped by a piquet guard of twenty men and a 
subaltern. The officer came out to meet me on the 



AGUAS CALIENTES. 135 

alarm being given by the sentinel on post. He was 
wrapped in the cloak of the country, and was with- 
out stockings ; his men were employed in cleaning 
their aims, cooking, and one group playing cards 
in the sun. I in vain endeavoured to persuade the 
young and interesting* officer to allow me to pro- 
ceed. He enquired mv object, whether or not I 
wished to try the medicinal effects of the water as a 
bath ; and, on explaining that I merely wished to 
gratify my curiosity by viewing the spring and 
measuring its temperature, he repeated the expres- 
sion, para ver, no mas ! (merely to see, no more,) 
and seemed by his tone to consider the motive as 
scarcely adequate to induce one to take so long a 
ride. I was compelled to return without accom- 
plishing my object, when within half a mile of the 
spring. The military governor of Valencia after- 
wards furnished me with a passport ; but I had no 
opportunity of availing myself of his politeness. 
This I regretted exceedingly, as Las aguas calien- 
tes de la Trinchera, are represented by Humboldt 
as being, with one exception, the hottest springs 
known. He found the temperature to be 195. 5°, 
Fahr. Eggs are cooked in four minutes. The 
quantity of water furnishes a transverse section of 
six feet square, and is the source of a river infested 
with caimans, or aligators, which empties into the 
sea near Puerto Cabello. Within forty feet of the 
hot spring there are others perfectly cold, which 
enables the inhabitants, by means of small ca- 
nals, to procure a bath of any required tempe 



136 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

rature. The waters are strongly impregnated with 
sulphuretted hydrogen, and are much resorted to by 
invalids, who place themselves on small stages, 
formed of the branches of trees, and thus expose 
their bodies to the vapour of the boiling spring. 

During my residence here, I remarked a beauti- 
ful appearance every afternoon, about four o'clock. 
The clouds, impelled by the sea breeze, poured 
over the summit of the mountains in dense vo- 
lumes, and rolled down their sides ; but they re- 
mained in the neighbourhood of the ridge. The sun 
was not overcast for a moment during our stay in 
Valencia. 

Our host was unable to attend the approach- 
ing meeting of Congress, in consequence of the ne- 
cessity of payiug some attention to his devastated 
plantation. He has been a great sufferer by the re- 
volution, having lost his wife in one of the West 
India Islands, while on a mission to England, and 
two or three brothers in the field of battle. It is ex- 
pected that his plantation will yield, in the course 
of a few years, a revenue of twenty or thirty thou- 
sand dollars. His family consists of a nephew, a 
lad sixteen years old, the sister of his late wife, and 
a little daughter, Maraquita, a very interesting 
child, about five years old, who talks incessantly, 
calls us to breakfast in the morning, and dances 
and sings like the Indians. The family speak 
French. It was extremely affecting to listen to 
their accounts of the desolation produced by the ex- 
terminating war. When this gentleman returned to 



VALENCIA. 137 

his native town, after an exile of six or eight years, 
he found but three or four persons of his former so- 
ciety remaining ; whole families were extinct, the 
city half in ruins, and the other half in possession of 
new proprietors. 

Mr. Penalver is one of the best informed and 
most polished men I have ever met with. I shall 
long remember, the interesting and instructive con- 
versations he permitted me to hold with him, the 
invitations to pass some time at his plantation, his 
unembarrassing politeness and effective good offices. 
He spoke much of Humboldt, who resided with 
him, and occupied the same room in which I slept. 
And it was this very room, (having a large eye 
painted in the centre of the ceiling, as if to witness 
the treachery,) that was selected by the Spanish 
general, as the place of deposite for the plate, 
jewels, and valuables of the inhabitants of Valen- 
cia, after the city had capitulated ; under the pretext 
of securing them to their owners, by placing a guard 
for that purpose. But no sooner was the treasure, 
amassed, than he seized the whole of it; although, 
by the convention signed and sworn to by Boves, 
as Spanish geueral, and Dr. Peiia for the Valen- 
cians, before the assembled armies and the sacred 
Host, the most solemn ceremony of the Catholic 
church, the property and lives of the inhabitants 
were to be respected. 

But this was only a prelude to a scene of the 
most shocking barbarity, a thousand times more re- 
volting than any recorded in the history of the most 

48 






W f 



138 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

savage people. The most respectable inhabitants 
were invited to a ball by this monster Boves, and 
they were given to understand, that the General 
would look upon those with an evil eye, who should 
fail to grace it by their presence. After the assem- 
bling of the party, the men were forcibly dragged 
from the hall of festivity into the adjoining court 
by the brutal soldiery, and there murdered, within 
hearing of their wives and daughters; who were 
compelled by these incarnate devils, by the inflic- 
tion of stripes, to dance to the music of the groans 
and shrieks of their kindred and friends. This re- 
lation I had heard frequently on the journey, and 
afterwards had it confirmed by the person who 
signed the convention. This gentleman himself 
with difficulty escaped in a priest's habit to the 
neighbouring mountains, where he remained con- 
cealed for two months ; uutil forced by misery and 
want, and the fear of detection by his blood-thirsty 
pursuers, he made his way with the greatest diffi- 
culty to the interior provinces. 

While on this disagreeable topic, I may mention 
an instance of unmanly cruelty inflicted on a young 
lady of Cumana. It is authenticated by a British 
naval officer, who was an eye witness. For some 
heedless expressions against the royalists, she was 
tied naked on a mule, and whipped through' the 
streets. The lady was of the first respectability, 
and such was the delicacy of her feelings, that she 
refused all sustenance, being determined not to sur- 
vive her disgrace, and died a week after the inflic- 



VALENCIA. 139 

tion of the shameful punishment. Her brother, 
from that moment devoted himself to avenge her 
death. No other thought occupied his breast; when, 
after repeatedly inflicting serious injury upon his 
enemies, astonishing them by his audacity and bra- 
very, he heroically fell, receiving death from the 
hands of the murderers of his sister. 

Another species of torture used by the Spaniards 
in this country was to strip the skin from the soles 
of prisoners' feet, and oblige them to walk on gra- 
vel. The system followed by Boves and his offi- 
cers, was to murder every distinguished man in the 
country ; knowing how to write frequently deter- 
mined the fate of a prisoner. Among the victims 
to science and philosophy, sacrificed on the altar of 
legitimacy and ignorance, by Morillo, when he en- 
tered Bogota, in 1815, are the names of Mutis, ad- 
vantageously known for his botanical researches — 
Caldas, who was associated in his labours with 
Humboldt — Lorano and Rezo, whose attainments 
in the mathematics, the physical sciences, and his- 
tory, would have done honour to any age or nation. 

Mr. Penalver's inquiries relative to the politics 
and statistics of the United States, were very nu- 
merous. He stated the population of Colombia at 
two millions six hundred thousand souls, and as- 
serted that one million had perished within the 
last ten years. He seemed a little incredulous, when 
I stated the increase of population in the United 
States, in forty-five years to have been from three 
to nearly ten millions. One day, in enumerating 



HO NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

the advantages enjoyed by his country, he' dwelt 
upon the favourable circumstance of possessing but 
one religion and one language, suggested by a 
statement I had been making of the diversity of 
sects, and the three* languages spoken in the Uni- 
ted States. I ventured to inquire, whether he 
thought a unity of religion so great an advantage ; 
since it was seen by our example, that toleration 
was not destructive of a high state of moral and re- 
ligious feeling. He replied, in a political point of 
view I think it is : it prevents wrangling, the use- 
less waste of much time in controversies, and tends 
to bind the members of the community more closely 
together. I merely speak of one religion, be that 
what it may. He concluded by remarking, that all 
men of education and reflection were of the same 
religion. I was extremely pleased with this evi- 
dence of a philosophical mind, and at finding so 
much liberality of sentiment in a country, where I 
had expected to encounter nothing but the most in- 
tolerant bigotry. 

At one of the entertainments given during our 
stay in Valencia, I was seated at table by the side 
of a negro officer of the army, to whom T had pre- 
viously been introduced. But what rendered the 
circumstance more singular in my eyes, was, that 
an Englishman, a white man, the waiter of one of 
the officers, was in attendance. It will readily be 
supposed, that the prejudice of colour in Colombia, 

* By the acquisition of Florida, the Spanish makes the 
fourth language spoken in the United States. 



VALENCIA. 141 

although by no means so inveterate as in the Uni- 
ted States, would have prevented this individual's 
elevation to the rank he held, unless he possessed 
extraordinary merit. His brother officers seemed 
to take pleasure in bearing testimony to his feats of 
gallantry, and in detailing his effective services. 
His conversation and manners were prepossessing 5 
his deportment equally removed from forwardness 
or timidity. He appeared to possess a sound and 
somewhat cultivated understanding, and a well- 
poised mind. A scrupulous attention to the forms 
of society, evinced his anxiety to avoid giving of- 
fence ; a slight dash of reserve seemed equally to 
declare that he was determined not to brook one. 
Those who have never seen the African race, ex- 
cept in the United States, where, brutified by igno- 
rance and degradation, they appear to be considered 
as forming an intermediate link between free man 
and inferior animals, could never be brought to think 
of an association with them, except with feelings of 
disgust ; and perhaps the same sentiment may be 
transferred to me, when I avow,-? that I have seen 
men of this unfortunate race, whose friendship I 
should be pleased to cultivate. 

We received many attentions in this city, parti- 
cularly from Colonel Ursler, the military governor, 
who provided us with an English sergeant, armed 
cap-a-pie, with sword, carabine, and lance, as an 
escort' and guide ; as well as from one of Bolivar's 
aides, Colonel Gomes, who was so obliging as to 
procure mules for us, which we hired to carry our 
baggage as far as Truxillo, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

LEAVE VALENCIA CARABOBO — GENERAL PAEZ BARQUI- 

SIMETO COLONEL MANREKY TOCUYO— AGUA OBISPOS 

—SANTA-ANA TRUXILLO. 

• 

November 28th. Left Valencia this morning, 
escorted for some distance by our attentive host, 
Senator Penalver, and proceeded by easy stages, 
rendered necessary by the infirm health of one of 
the party, to the small village Tocuyito, eight, 
and Carabobo twelve — twenty miles, the scene of 
one of Bolivar's most famous victories. Our guide 
had been in the battle, and gave us a description of 
the various movements of the hostile armies. He 
belonged to the English battalion, whose desperate 
charge had contributed so much to the success of 
the day; and now wore on his arm the distinguish- 
ing badge of the battle. The plain of Carabobo is 
about seven miles long, by three broad ; it has a 
road running through its centre, is entirely clear of 
trees or enclosures, and is encircled by an amphi- 
theatre of hills, forming an exquisite field of battle. 
It was on this field that Paez laid the foundation 
of his military fame. 

This extraordinary man is a Llanero, or native 
of the elevated plains of Varinas, in Venezuela. 
He was the owner of herds of half wild cattle, 
which he attended himself — in fact, an illiterate 
herdsman* Naturally of a bold, impetuous temper, 



GENERAL PAEZ. 143 

and possessed of strength and activity of body ? 
altogether surprising in a frame rather under the 
common size, he early distinguished himself in 
those feats of hardihood and dexterity, rendered 
more frequent by being almost continually on horse- 
back, which, in a rude society, confer a title to su- 
periority. Enjoying these personal advantages, 
united to a quick, penetrating mind, and much na- 
tive sagacity, he had elevated himself, about the 
time of the revolution, to a sort of chieftainship, 
possessing great influence over the roving bands of 
half savage herdsmen, in his immediate vicinity. 
His restless ambition prompted him to collect a 
band of his most daring associates, and placing 
himself at their head, he commenced a partisan pre- 
datory warfare on his own account. Being an Ame- 
rican, his natural prepossessions inclined him to the 
patriot cause; but when in want of provisions or 
necessaries for his men, or money for himself, to 
enable him to indulge in that strongest of all the 
passions in an uncultivated mind — gaming — the 
cause of his country was frequently lost sight of, 
and the firm patriot then received the treatment 
most usually inflicted upon the devoted royalist. 
Bolivar, attentive to the growing influence of the 
lawless chief, determined at once to fix his princi- 
ples, and efnlist his good qualities for the benefit of 
their common country, by appointing him to the re- 
gular army. This step had the desired effect. The 
cause of the country was strengthened by a chief of 
the most heroic intrepidity; possessing a genius for 



144 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

war, which dispensed with the rules of art ; having 
under his command a body of dauntless cavalry, 
whose charge, when led by their favourite chief, 
was irresistible. These men, accustomed to the 
horse from early infancy, resemble, in appearance 
and equipment, the Russian cossacks, and, like 
them, do not owe the effect of their onset to the 
shock of a mass, but charge separately, or two or 
three together, depending upon individual address 
and prowess, upon the dexterous management of 
the horse, the lance, and the example of their 
leader. 

Paez has been engaged in many battles, and nu- 
merous minor conflicts, but he more especially ow r es 
his distinction to his conduct at the battle of Cara- 
bobo. The contending armies were each about five 
thousand men, the field an extensive plain, traversed 
by a road, and on one side, at some distance from 
the road, by a concealed ravine. The contending 
parties, although numerically equal, were not so in 
force ; the Spaniards were better disciplined, and 
had a beautiful battery of artillery in position upon 
the road, commanding the w r hole plain; the Colom- 
bians being without this arm. Bolivar, knowing 
how niuch depended upon the event of the day, 
disposed his force in two divisions, giving the right 
to Montilla, the senior, and the left to^Paez, with 
orders to attack with his two battalions and about 
twelve hundred cavalry by the ravine. The Presi- 
dent knew it was a desperate game, and had chosen 
his agent accordingly. Paez, delighted at the dis- 



GENERAL PAEZ. 145 

tinction conferred upon him by the selection, joy- 
fully led on his men, at first concealed by the indi- 
cated ravine; but, issuing soon upon the general 
level of the plain, the Spanish commander, La 
Torre, saw the quarter of attack, and endeavoured 
by a corresponding change in the position of his 
troops and battery to oppose it. But Paez, bran- 
dishing his lance, fell upou them with such rapidity 
and resolution, that although he lost half his divi- 
sion, he completely routed the whole Spanish army, 
and captured their artillery. The carnage of the 
flying was terrible ; and, if it had not been for the 
fatigue of the horses, broken down by long marches, 
and the intrepidity of Morales, the second in com- 
mand, who hastily formed a small square, and re- 
tired in that order, not a man would have escaped, 

About the close of the action, Paez gave an in- 
stance of an infirmity, which seizes him when vio- 
lently excited. It is said to resemble an epileptic 
fit. If force be not used to prevent him, which was 
obliged to be used at Carabobo, his propensity is to 
charge single-handed against whole battalions of 
the enemy. 

The results of this famous battle were the occu- 
pation of Valencia the next day, and of Caracas 
three days after. Paez was made a Captaiu-gene- 
ral on the field, by Bolivar, and entrusted with the 
chief command. This promotion was shortly after 
sanctioned by a resolution of congress, in which the 
General is characterised as the bizzarro General 
Paez. 

19 



146 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

The Llanero has now, by the assistance of the 
English officers of his staff, made some progress in 
the elements of education. Such is his quickness 
of apprehension, that he learns without difficulty 
what in others would require years of application. 
It is to be regretted that the models before his eyes, 
and upon which he has formed himself, were not 
more worthy of imitation. He has learnt every thing* 
presented to him; and, if he possesses the easy car- 
riage and polite manners of polished society, he has 
likewise acquired its vices. He is not habitually 
intemperate, but is frequently committed by the con- 
viviality of his disposition. He carries his passion 
for gaming to such an extent, as always to keep 
himself poor, although he possesses some of the 
richest confiscated estates in the country. This pro- 
pensity prompts him, likewise, to borrow with little 
scrupulousness from whomsoever will lend, without 
troubling himself about repayment. 

Formerly, when the minds of the contending par- 
ties were heated by mutual barbarities, the charac- 
ter of the General had been stained with acts of 
cruelty ; not merely against the enemy, who at one 
period were put to death when taken, as a matter 
of course, but towards his own troops. Like other 
men of great genius and violent passions, he is a 
warm friend and a deadly foe. Many anecdotes 
are related of the General's fool- hardy intrepidity, 
and feats of address and activity, some merely un- 
dertaken by way of bravado, while others had. a 
more laudable object. Among the first, are his feats 



GENERAL PAEZ. 14*7 

in leaping and swimming horses ; his attacks of 
furious bulls; and particularly his singular amuse- 
ment of encountering the caiman, or alligator, in his 
own element. An instance of a more praiseworthy 
exertion of courage, was in the capture by him and 
his officers, of a Spanish armed schooner lying at 
anchor in the Orinoco. This was effected by swim- 
ming from the shore, each of the party holding his 
sword in his mouth. 

The General is now, (1823,) about thirty-five 
years old. Besides his military rank, he is a Sena- 
tor of the republic. Although clothed with these 
high civil and military employments, he does not 
hesitate to engage in the most boyish pranks. On 
the expiration of the armistice of Santa- Ana, to 
show his joy at the event, he set fire to the soldiers' 
barracks. During another interval of inactivity, he 
amused himself by taking his officers to the houses 
of the most wealthy inhabitants of Angostura, about 
the time of dinner, as if in compliance with an invi- 
tation. Those who knew the General put on the 
best face, and produced every thing the house af- 
forded, or that could be procured on so unceremo- 
nious a notice. Others, who were more sparing of 
their wine and provisions, or attempted to make 
excuses, were sure to have their houses sacked, for 
the pretended indignity of inviting gentlemen to 
dinner without suitable preparations. After this 
round of dissipation had lasted a fortnight, and 
broken down the health of those engaged, the Ge- 
neral ordered his officers to meet at a designated 



148 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

house, and detached a guard, as if to attend a mi- 
litary funeral. The best drinker was seized and 
placed ou a bier, with empty bottles, demijohns, 
&c. The guard, with reversed arms, followed by 
the officers, each carrying an empty bottle, proceed- 
ed to the place of interment, every citizen they 
met being obliged to assist at the ceremony, which 
was conducted with all the formalities practised on 
such oc asions. A funeral sermon was preached, 
setting forth the convivial, accomplishments of the 
defunct. On the third day, becoming weary of the 
absence of amusement, the General announced that 
a resurrection was about to take place. This was 
accompanied by the rites usually observed in Ca- 
tholic countries on Easter Sunday. The bottles 
were all filled, nothing but rejoicing was heard, 
and the revived toper, placed in honour at the head 
of the table, was appointed master of the revels. 
The above trait proves, if it proves nothing else, 
that in a country where such a scene could be 
acted, the people cannot be charged with an over 
attachment to the established religion. 

November 2$th. This day's journey was through 
the village Chirgua, on bad roads, over the moun- 
tains Las Hermanas to Tinaquillo— twenty miles. 

November SOth. Through a well watered coun- 
try, crossing creeks every half mile, to Las Pal- 
mas and Tinaco — twenty miles. This day, passed 
through noble forests ; some of the trees, measured 
low down, embracing the five or six projecting 
spurs, like buttresses, which nature provides to 



CARABOBO. 149 

sustain their immense growths, are thirty feet in 
girth. Here, also, we had an opportunity of admir- 
ing the willow of the country, having the stately 
form of the Lombardy poplar, various species of the 
beautiful palm, arborescent ferns, and canes, seven 
inches in diameter, towering to an immense height. 
This is a finer tract of country, and possesses 
greater advantages, than any I have ever seen. 

December ist. We rode to-day to San-Carlos, 
in 9° 20' north latitude, a fine town, containing two 
or three thousand inhabitants, twelve miles — and 
San- Jose, three more — a short journey of fifteen 
miles. 

December 2d. Passed the town Camaruco, and 
stopped for the night at Caramacate — thirty miles, 

December 3d. This day's journey was to Cuyi- 
sita, over the mountain Altar — twenty-five miles. 
The road was the worst we had encountered. Some 
of the leaps which the mules were obliged to take, 
were three feet in perpendicular height, and were 
performed with difficulty, even without the rider. 
In many places the road was so narrow, that the 
baggage mules had room barely sufficient for their 
loads to pass between the perpendicular banks by 
which it is enclosed. 

December Mh. Mounted, at 3, A. M., by moon- 
light — rode before breakfast to Cabudara, twenty- 
six miles, and got to Barquisemeto, six more, about 
10, A. M., thirty-two miles — making, in seven 
days, one hundred and sixty-two miles from Valen- 
cia. During these journeys we stopped frequently 



NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

for an hour or two, at noon, procuring food both 
then and at night, by sending the servants out to 
forage for eggs and fowls, or whatever else could 
be obtained, which we cooked in miserable huts, 
the resorts of muleteers. 

At Barquisemeto the continued ill health of one 
of the party called for a delay of some days. On 
arriving in town, we were detained some time in the 
street, before quarters were assigned to us, the Al- 
calde being absent. An Irish gentleman, a surgeon 
in the army, relieved us by showing the way to the 
quarters of the military commandant, Colonel Man- 
reky, who was temporarily absent on duty. This 
gentleman turned out to be Dr. Mallery, to whom 
we had letters; he was very attentive, and useful 
in his capacity of physician. We remained in this 
town five days. 

On the day of our arrival, the 4th of December, 
experienced a slight shock of an earthquake at half 
past four, P. M. It was felt by persons in differ- 
ent parts of the town; but shocks are so frequent as to 
create no fear, and unless uncommonly severe, do 
not produce excitement enough to become with the 
inhabitants a subject of conversation. At the time 
it took place, I was lying in my hammock. The sen- 
sation was precisely as if some one had jarred the 
hammock by running against the cords. These 
convulsions are happily so instantaneous, that there 
is no time for apprehension ; the danger being over 
before the mind is aware that it has been threaten- 
ed. I was much gratified in having witnessed this 



BAKQUISEMETO. 151 

play of the great machinery of nature, as it is one 
of those, we cannot form an adequate idea of from 
description ; and as the sublimity of her freaks is 
much more imposing than the beauty of her repose. 

Barquisemeto, in 8° 55' N. lat. and 10° 00' 30" 
E. long, from Washington, founded by Villagas, 
in 1552, after conquering the soil from the Indians, 
was formerly a third rate town, and might be com- 
pared, in point of size, with Wilmington, Del. In 
1812, it was almost entirely destroyed, not more 
than ten or twelve houses escaping. The principal 
street is now built up ; but in the two parallel ones 
there are still many ruins. The houses rebuilt are 
constructed of upright posts sunk in the ground, 
with a wattling of canes; the interstices filled with 
mud, plastered with lime, and whitewashed. This 
mode of building is resorted to on account of the fre- 
quency of earthquakes, and the recollection of their 
severe sufferings in 1812. 

Mass is celebrated in a temporary church, gaudi- 
ly ornamented with pictures, images, and hangings, 
but entirely open to the front. A new and very 
large church was about half built ; no workmen, 
however, were engaged in its construction during 
our stay. The town now consists of a long, well- 
paved street, lined with one story houses. It is 
built upon a desert plain, elevated about two hun- 
dred feet above the small river Calabozo, which 
flows at its base. Water for household purposes is 
brought from the river on mules and sold in the 
streets. 



152 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

I was attracted one evening, about eight o'clock,, 
by the voice of a Stentorian preacher, who was 
holding forth at the head of the street. I found the 
Padre mounted on a projecting window of one of 
the houses. His audience occupied the street, con- 
sisting of a promiscuous crowd of men and women, 
some chanting and ringing bells, while others held 
crosses, torches, &c. The speaker appeared very 
earnest. At every pause, instead of being answer- 
ed by a decent nasal amen, the responses were made 
by a dropping fire from a guard of soidiers, who 
assisted at the ceremonies. 

The evening hefore^we left this place, we receiv- 
ed an uncourteous summons to leave the house we 
occupied ; but this was positively refused on our 
part, till another should be assigned for our accom- 
modation. Dr. Mallery came up very opportunely 
at the moment of our greatest perplexity. He went 
immediately to Colonel Manreky,* who had just 
returned from a journey of seventeen leagues, and 
found his house occupied by strangers. The Doc- 
tor explained the circumstances of the case. Colonel 
Manreky said he had been misinformed, and was 
now perfectly satisfied, and immediately sent a re- 
quest to be allowed to pay us a visit. He sat an 
hour, during which he evinced by his conversa- 
tion and manners, that he was a man of intelligence 

* Colonel Manreky, who impressed me as favourably as 
any officer I met with, was promoted to a Brigadier, com- 
manded at the taking; of Maracaibo, in 1824, and died short- 
ly after of a fever, 



BARQUISEMETO. 153 

and education. His journey had been undertaken 
to rate the dilatory Alcaldes of the Department he 
commanded, for not furnishing their quotas of arms 
and men, supplies for which he had immediate ne- 
cessity. His having to deal with those Messrs. 
Mananas, and the fatigue of his long ride of sixty- 
seven miles were enough to ruffle his temper ; but 
after he had been introduced, he forgot his vexa- 
tions, his journey, and his house. After sitting an 
hour, he took leave with the promise of sending 
some letters, which would be of use to us on the 
route. These he sent next morning previous to our 
departure. They were directed to officers and 
others within his command, and proved of the 
greatest advantage to us at Tocuyo and as far as 
Truxillo. At this town half of the battalion of 
Boyaca was stationed. 

JDecember 10th. Left Barquisemeto at 7? A. M. ; 
passed a collection of huts called cerros blancos, 
six miles, and dined at noon in the bed of a small 
river now dry, owing to a long drought. One ser- 
vant was sent for water, another for provisions, 
while the sergeant was employed in striking a light 
to kindle our cooking fire, by means of an appara- 
tus, which, in common with twenty other useful 
things, found a lodgment in his capacious, high- 
crowned leather cap. In the mean time, we took 
some repose in our hammocks, tied to trees. At 
this place, a swarm of very small hairy bees col- 
lected about our heads, nestling under the hair. 
We pulled them out with sticks, being afraid to 

go 



154) NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

handle them. We escaped without feeling their 
stings, if they possessed any, at the expense of a 
little apprehension. Our caterer succeeded in get 
ting part of a kid, upon which, as soon as cooked,, 
we dined heartily ; our own stores of rice, bread, 
and condiments, serving to furnish out the repast. 
We halted for the night at Quibor — -thirty miles. 

December iith. Set out early, and arrived at 3, 
P. M. at Tocuyo — twenty-four miles. The whole 
route from Barquisemeto to this place, fifty-four 
miles, is an arid plain, covered with one continued 
forest of cactus trees, growing to the height of fif- 
teen feet, which present a most singular and gro- 
tesque appearance, from their resemblance to various 
animate and inanimate objects. As there is no 
shade, the heat of the sun, and its radiation from 
the white sandy soil, is almost insupportable. But 
few houses are met with in this distance. Innume 
rable goats skirt the road side, which appear wan 
dering without an owner. 

Delivered our letters from Col. Manreky to the 
Military Commandant. This officer entertained us 
in the best manner for the remainder of the day and 
the whole of the next, our party being in want of 
repose. Our host being Governor of the town, oc- 
cupied the house belonging to the state, situated, 
as is invariably the case, on the public square op- 
posite the church. I was assigned to a hammock 
in the principal room. Being somewhat fatigued, 
I occupied it early in the evening, and was agreea- 
bly entertained, while enjoying the luxury of my 



TUCUYO. 155 

swingiug bed, by a concert of some fine female 
voices in the same room. As I was half a sleep, I 
did not satisfy myself as to the persons who formed 
the concert, but supposed the officer's wife, a good 
natured portly lady, was one of the number. She 
afforded a very good table, and was very attentive 
to our wants, though not equally so to what we 
should consider bienseance, as she did not hesitate 
to pick some intruders from her head before us all, 
and proceed with the utmost composure to inflict la 
peine forte et dure upon the interlopers, with her 
thumb nails. 

We obtained some advice and prescriptions from 
an intelligent physician of the town, a Creole, edu- 
cated at Caracas. I saw at this gentleman's house 
a very creditable specimen of his skill in drawing, 
consisting of two portraits representing a Patriot 
and Grodo, our whig and tory. The idea conveyed 
was very much that of the laughing and crying phi- 
losophers. I was struck on seeing this house with 
the general want of comfort, and the incongruity in 
the furniture and decorations, observable in most of 
the houses of this country. 

The furniture is of the rudest kind. The chairs 
are such as a rough carpenter would make, ex- 
tremely heavy ; the seat and back being made of 
dry hide with the hair on, or of leather nailed to 
the wooden frame. These, with one or two un- 
couth and inconveniently high tables, bearing no 
just proportion to the height of the chairs, form the 
usual furniture of the principal room. In warm 



156 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

climates, hammocks are. suspended from hooks in 
the walls ; in these, the family or visiters loll by 
turns. The floor of the Doctor's house above al- 
luded to, was simply beaten earth ; and suspended 
from the rough beams, (few houses having ceilings,) 
were two handsome Argand lamps with painted 
shades. 

While remarking the stupendous scale upon 
which nature has formed her works in this region, 
it is painful to observe the little advantage which 
has been taken of her bounties, during an occupa- 
tion of three centuries. The cultivated land com- 
pared with that lying waste, is as a speck in the 
ocean. The towns are crumbling into dust; yet 
they do not bear the impress of antiquity, and are 
without the halo of recollections to dignify their 
fall. The face of the country suggests the image 
of youth prematurely seamed with the wrinkles 
of age. Infancy and decrepitude totter hand in 
hand. Such have been the results of the colonial 
system ; but since the country has had sufficient 
energy to shake off the incubus which stifled her 
growth, we may reasonably indulge in the bright- 
est anticipations of her regeneration, and steady 
march in the career of improvement. 

Tocuyo, in 9° 35' north latitude, and 6° 35' 30" 
east longitude,, from Washington ; founded in 1545, 
by Caravahal, contains at present about two thou- 
sand five hundred inhabitants. It is extremely 
well watered, having a fine limpid stream running 
through every street, and contains five churches, 



TUCUYO. 157 

some well boilt and handsomely decorated, others 
falling to decay. 

In the evening, seeing the door of the principal 
church open, and a number of persons standing 
about it, I approached, and found the Padre, a 
quizzical looking old fellow, baptising the child of 
an Indian woman. Salt was used in the ceremony, 
which was somewhat long. A servant of the church 
held the infant, while the priest read, in a hum- 
drum manner, the prescribed formula, from an old 
manuscript book. The child screamed violently 
during the whole ceremony. The Padre gave me 
a look and smile, which, (if I have not failed in the 
translation.) conveyed the idea that he was con- 
scious of the ridiculousness of his situation. In my 
journey through this country, I have frequently had 
opportunities of seeing the priests in various situa- 
tions, officiating in the churches, at their own 
houses, or on the road. I have invariably found 
them courteous, hospitable, and many, well inform- 
ed. They demean themselves with great benignity 
of manners to all who approach them, high or low, 
using some suitable courtesy to each. They rarely 
intrude the topic of religion. Sometimes they 
may inquire whether you are a Christian, (mean- 
ing a Catholic:) but if answered in the negative, 
you perceive no abatement of their kindness or at- 
tentions. As they have nothing morose or forbid- 
ding about them, the lowest of the flock approaches 
iris ghostly father with perfect confidence, but still 
with respect. 



158 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

December 13th, Left Tocuyo at 9,*A. 3Vi. Pro- 
ceeded eighteen miles, to Humaracara-bajo, where 
we arrived in the evening, resting occasionally on, 
the way. 

Humaracara-bajo is a poor village, of twenty- 
five or thirty huts, built in the bottom of a rich but 
narrow and deep glen. The Alcalde was very ob- 
sequious, procured eggs, &c. for us, and would re- 
ceive no compensation. He waited on us in state 
in the evening, in a clean shirt, bringing with him 
a boy about twelve years of age, to read our pass- 
port, which ceremony was performed with consider- 
able difficulty. 

December l^th. Left Humaracara-bajo at 7> A. 
M., and arrived at Agua Obispos at 7? P- M., a 
distance of thirty-six miles. This was the most 
distressing day's journey of the whole route. We 
encountered precipitous roads, rendered really dan- 
gerous by the effect of a violent rain, on a clayey 
soil. At the top of the mountain, we were chilled 
with cold. In descending, some of the party had 
to dismount at a place, where, in making the at- 
tempt, my mule, sagaciously placing her hoofs to 
sustain her, slid several yards, overturning the 
muleteer in her passage, and landed me sprawling 
in the slimy mud, at the foot of the bank. To- 
wards evening, the sergeant being some considera- 
ble distance on before — Manuel in the rear with 
the baggage- — we were detained some time in reco- 
vering Peter's mule, which had thrown him and 
run away. Chilled, drenched, and hungry, we ar- 



AGUA OBISPOS, 109 

rived at night, after a dangerous descent of three 
or four miles, on a slippery road, scarcely discerni- 
ble, at a miserable hut at Obispos. It contained but 
one public room, already occupied by twenty travel- 
lers, deterred from crossing the mountain by the 
bad weather ; and so crowded, that the hammocks 
touched each other. Here we were furnished with 
some spirits by a mulatto captain, who was very 
polite, and used his authority to procure us suffi- 
cient room to swing our hammocks. This relief 
came very opportunely, as we were faint and com- 
pletely exhausted with fatigue. Our baggage did not 
arrive till next morning, so that we were constrain- 
ed to pass a cold and uncomfortable night in our 
wet clothes. The travellers pursued their journey 
next day, and left us in possession of the hut, 
where we remained to recover the baggage and re- 
cruit our exhausted strength. 

Agua Obispos, situated in a rugged valley, sur- 
rounded by enormous mountains, can scarcely be 
called a village; the eight or twelve straggling 
houses being within the circuit of a mile. The in- 
mates of the house we occupied, were a fat, hearty 
looking old dame, and her three daughters. On 
the evening of our arrival, we received no attention 
from the family; all was confusion; each person 
being engaged around the fire, made in one corner 
of the cook-shed, preparing his mess. We partook 
of that prepared for the captain by his servant ; it 
being impossible, at that late hour, to procure any 
thing, and the old lady insisting she had nothing 
in the house. 



160 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

The next morning, finding we were disposed to 
pay for what we wanted, she opened her stores, 
and supplied us with eggs, bread, vegetables, and 
chocolate, prepared at the moment from the kernel, 
slightly roasted, and reduced to a paste between 
two stones. Our excellent forager, the sergeant, 
soon added his purchase of fowls to our stock of 
provant, and had succeeded likewise in procuring 
green corn-stalks for our famished mules. 

As I sat on a stone drying my clothes near the 
fire, a young man came in, and was treated with 
the best the house afforded. Having satisfied his 
voracious appetite, the women produced their purses; 
and, after counting and recounting their reals, and 
giving repeated instructions, off set the pedler for 
Tocuyo, to purchase for the family their little arti- 
cles of dress and finery. 

In the course of the morning, a sprightly woman 
paid the family a visit; she was shaking with the 
ague, which, however, did not prevent her from 
talking incessantly. She addressed her conversa- 
tion to me, and continued for half an hour, without 
its ever entering her head, that probably very little 
of what she was uttering with such volubility was 
understood. She threw out many hints at a travel- 
ler, who was about to depart without paying for 
what he had eaten, contrasting the custom of the 
natives in this respect, with that of the English. 
While proceeding in this attack upon the generosity 
of the codger, who sat silently munching his mess, 
she threw frequent significant glances at me, to be- 



AGUA OBISPOS. 161 

speak my approbation, for painting my countrymen 
in so favourable a point of view. Finding she was 
carrying the joke too far, I merely shook my head, 
in reply to one of her inquiring glances ; when, 
perceiving it was disagreeable to me, she imme- 
diately desisted, and appeared somewhat discon- 
certed. 

These people, man, woman, and child, all talk 
well. Those of the lower class, although they ap- 
pear to take pleasure in performing the most menial 
services for persons of a genteel appearance, do not 
think it necessary to receive any encouragement to 
address you ; but, on all occasions, enter into con- 
versation with the greatest ease and confidence, yet 
still without the least appearance of impertinence 
or disrespect. The kind and confiding intercourse 
between masters and servants in this country, satis- 
fied me of the justness of the remark; that slaves 
fiud in Spaniards the most indulgent masters. 

At Obispos, I had an opportunity of witnessing 
the whole process of preparing Indian corn for food. 
A quantity placed in an earthen jar, is steeped in 
hot water over night, to soften the grain and render 
the separation of the husk easy. In a corner of 
the cook-house, stands the apparatus in possession 
of every family. It consists of a stone, somewhat 
concave, supported in an inclined position, at a con- 
venient height, by two forked sticks driven into the 
ground ; and a smaller stone, sufficiently large to 
be grasped by both hands, which is used to bray the 



16U NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

grain, very much in the manner that painters grind 
their colours. 

The jar containing the grain is placed on one 
side, and one of water on the other, and the operator 
stands at the most elevated end of the stone. A, 
portion of the grain is placed upon it, and bruised 
into a paste by means of the smaller one, water be- 
ing dipped occasionally from the jar with the hand, 
to prevent the paste from adhering to the stones. 
When sufficiently ground, it is patted into a lump, 
and placed on one corner of the stone ; and another 
handful is submitted to the same operation. 

The maize prepared in this manner is called boyo. 
Many seem contented with a small cake in its raw 
state, washed down with a glass of water, for a 
breakfast. It is, however, more frequently made 
into flat cakes and fried in the favourite manteca, or 
simply baked before the fire, like our hoe-cake. 

This method of preparation is exceedingly tedi- 
ous, and much of the nutritive quality of the grain 
must necessarily be lost, by the washing it under- 
goes while brayed between the two stones, leaving 
behind little more than the insoluble portion. 

These details will serve to give an idea of the 
simple structure of society in this country — where 
each family, insulated and depending upon itself, 
is employed in operations which could be so much 
better and more quickly performed, by a judicious 
division of labour. 

December Ifttli. Left Obispos at 8, A. M. Stop- 
ped in the woods to cook and sling hammocks, in 



SANTA-ANA. 163 

the middle of the day, and arrived at Garache at 2, 
P. M. — fourteen miles. This is a small, dull look- 
ing village, situated in a narrow valley, surround- 
ed by high hills; found good quarters in the govern- 
ment house, on the plaza, opposite the church. 
The descent into the valley was somewhat difficult, 
a slight rain having rendered the tenacious, oily clay 
very slippery. 

December 17th. Left Garache at 7? A. M. Ar- 
rived at Santa- Ana at noon — twenty miles. This 
is a miserable village of twenty huts, built upon a 
ridge. It is rendered famous, by the signing of the 
convention for an armistice by Bolivar and Morillo. 
The house in which the rival generals had been 
lodged, was pointed out to us. Two chambers, 
opening in opposite directions into a centre room, 
were assigned to them for repose, after the business 
of the meeting and the festivities on the occasion 
had ceased. But Bolivar wishing to apply this 
first opportunity of communication with his distin- 
guished adversary to the best advautage, had his 
camp bed moved into the centre room, and inviting 
Morillo to do the same, the whole night was con- 
sumed in conversation. On taking leave next morn- 
ing, Morillo was heard to say, that whatever might 
be the termination of the armistice, he never would 
again be found opposed in arms to his friend. In 
this he kept his word ; shortly after, he embarked 
for Spain, and has been since, under the title of 
Count of Carthagena, a prominent actor in the con- 
vulsions, which have torn the mother country and 



164 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

ended in restoring Ferdinand to his legitimate 
rights, and making the Peninsula a province of 
France. 

The results of the convention of Santa-Ana 
were highly advantageous to the Colombians. Bo- 
livar was enabled to collect his scattered forces, too 
weak at the period of the armistice, to cope with 
the enemy. He then gave the stipulated notice for 
the recommencement of hostilities, and gained a 
complete victory over a well appointed army. 

December iSth. Left Santa- Ana at 7? A. M. ; 
arrived at Truxillo — twenty-one miles, at 4, P. M. 
resting two hours on the road. 

Thus, having remained one day at Tocuyo, and 
another at Agua Obispos, we have traversed, in 
seven riding days, from Barquisemeto, one hundred 
and sixty-three miles ; which distance is one mile 
more than that from Valencia to Barquisemeto, and 
occupied the same length of time. The latter stage, 
however, was infinitely more arduous and disa- 
greeable than the former, on account of the badness 
of the roads and the height of the mountains, en- 
veloped by chilling mists : from which, you descend 
into stifling vallies, so H profound," narrow, and 
destitute of trees, that your situation is little better 
than that of being placed in an oven, or the focus 
of a concave mirror. 

Truxillo, in 8° 40' north latitude, was founded 
by Diego Garcia de Paredes, in 1556 ; but the site 
was abandoned, owing to an insurrection of the In- 
dians, and was permanently established in 1570, 



TRUXILLO. ibD 

This town contains at present between one and two 
thousand inhabitants ; it is very injudiciously built 
in a narrow ravine, surrounded on all sides, except 
a narrow gorge, by hills too steep for cultivation, 
and about one thousand five hundred feet high. It 
consists of but one street, which is well paved, and 
has a considerable inclination. There are some 
very good houses, some in ruins from the earth- 
quake of 1812, and a few covered with thatch. 

I was struck at finding some huts, inhabited by 
poor people, constructed from the rubbish and with- 
in the walls of some stately buildings, bearing the 
heraldic impress of their former noble masters, over 
the tottering gateways. Nothing could give a more 
lively idea of the misery, impoverishment, and 
depopulation, caused by the earthquake, than a 
comparison of the squalid appearance of the pre- 
sent inmates of these walls, with that of those, 
whom the imagination would people them with, 
prior to that catastrophe. 

The town contains three churches. A suburb, 
separated by a deep ravine and creek, has forty or 
fifty thatched houses. The space occupied by the 
buildings is about twelve hundred yards in length, 
and four hundred in breadth. 

Truxillo, at present, is the head-quarters of a 
military division ; half a battalion, principally re- 
cruits, are quartered in the plaza, and are engaged 
in the drill the greater part of the day. The prox- 
imity of Morales, now at the head of lake Mara- 
caibo, has given an impulse to the exertions of the 
military. 



166 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

We were furnished with excellent quarters In 
the house of a lady, who was absent at her planta- 
tion in Varinas, it being in charge of a poor wi- 
dow, who occupied it with her family of small 
children during the temporary absence of the mis- 
tress. This woman was useful to us in furnishing 
our meals, and in providing our little store of cho- 
colate, rice, &c. for the road. She, as well as her 
children, was always industriously employed, and 
extremely anxious to serve us. We derived much 
amusement in conversing with the little family, and 
in getting the children to sing, dance, or read for 
us. The mother sometimes joined in the song : 
she had a peculiarly plaintive tone of voice, which 
had something truly affecting in it. 

On the evening of our arrival, about twenty ladies 
and gentlemen came in a body, to pay us a visit. 
As it was late, and we were retiring to rest, their 
curiosity was disappointed. The next day, we re- 
ceived many visits from the ladies and gentlemen 
of the place ; among the rest, from the Military 
Commandant, who had assigned us quarters in 
consequence of the letters from Colonel Manreky. 
We applied to him for mules, which he agreed to 
furnish, but at more than double the customary 
price. 

We remained four days at Truxillo, in expecta 
tion of procuring mules at a less ruinous expense : 
but the commandant excused himself by represent- 
ing, that all the animals maintained for the service 
of travellers, were kept in readiness for the public 



TRUXILLO. 167 

service, as, owing to the proximity of the enemy, it 
was not known at what moment they might be re- 
quired. A note, however, addressed to General 
Clementi, at his head-quarters, Betioque, produced 
the desired effect, in instructions to the commandant. 

I here first remarked the use the people make of 
the expressed juice of tobacco, called chimoo. It is 
usually contained in a snuff-box, and is taken by 
dipping the finger into the liquor, and applying it 
to the mouth. It is highly prized, and much used 
by the women. 

The goitre, cases of which I had noticed in many 
of the towns on the route, is here very prevalent. 

The day before we left Truxillo, the lady in, 
whose house we were quartered returned from her 
plantation. The perfect unconcern she evinced on 
finding us in possession of her mansion, showed 
that such intrusions were not unfrequent; and her 
polite expressions conveyed the idea, that they were 
far from being unacceptable. This may convey 
some idea of the state of society ; for, in a more ad- 
vanced stage of refinement, nothing can be imagined, 
more revolting to the feelings of a family, than thus 
to have its privacy invaded, and to be habitually 
subject to the innumerable inconveniences, conse- 
quent upon the indiscriminate admission of stran- 
gers. 



CHAPTER IX. 

LEAVE TRUXILLO FARM-HOUSE — VALERIA— MENDOZA— 

TIMOTHES — FIESTA OF INDEPENDENCE PARAMO— ME- 

RIDA. 

December 23d. We left Truxillo at noon. On 
our way through the suburb, we found our widow 
and her little family, drawn up in front of her 
thatched cot, to which she had returned on the ar- 
rival of the mistress of the house we had occupied ; 
and as we passed, in the fulness of her gratitude, 
she overwhelmed us with benedictions and wishes 
for a good journey, with extravagant gesticulations. 
We proceeded fifteen miles, to a house on the road, 
where we found good pasturage for our mules. We 
were shown into the best room, which is invariably 
appropriated for the purpose of hospitable enter- 
tainment. It is generally stripped of furniture, ex- 
cept the indispensable table and chairs, or benches ; 
but this is rendered necessary, in consequence of the 
indiscriminate admission of travellers. At first I 
felt a reluctance to enter houses, which our guide 
represented as not public ; but the necessity of the 
case, and the welcome of the owners, soon reassured 
me, and I became satisfied we were following the 
custom of the country. After the reception by the 
host, he usually retires to his private apartments; 
his hospitality cannot, of course, extend to further 
entertainment. 



FARM-HOUSE. 169 

You proceed immediately to sling your ham- 
mocks, bring in tbe baggage, saddles, &c. If you 
have a sumpter mule, you bave access to tbe cook- 
house, and its utensils, for tbe purpose of preparing 
your food, as well as tbe use of tbe necessary fur- 
niture for setting the table. If without provisions, 
you may be frequently disappointed in procuring a 
supply of tbe host; for they all live, literally, from 
hand to mouth, and rarely have any tbing to spare; 
or, if they chance to have a superabundance, they, 
from habit, invariably say, no hay nada en la casa, 
(there is nothing in the house;) until, by talking 
the matter over, and testing your answers by their 
often exercised acuteness, they form their conclu- 
sions as to your intention of paying for what you 
may receive. When satisfied of your honourable 
intentions, they freely supply your wants at liberal 
prices. 

These people, naturally of the most amiable dis- 
positions, have grown deceitful and close, by the 
abuses and shameful exactions practised upon them, 
duriug the war, by friends as well as enemies. A 
soldier, of whatever rank, exacts from the peace- 
able citizen, whatever he may require for his neces- 
sities or enjoyments, enters all houses on the road, 
without the least ceremony, calls for what be wants 
in the tone of a master, and levies mules, horses, 
and men, to conduct his baggage, without giving 
the least compensation. A foreign colonel in the 
Colombian service, who had travelled from Caracas 
to Bogota, was heard to say, that the journey had 



170 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

not cost him one cent, as he made it a practice to 
eat with the Padres and ride the Alcalde's horses. 
Another officer boasted, that he had pressed horses 
for the public service, and afterwards sold them for 
his own use, and pretended to justify the act, by the 
want of punctuality in the government. These were 
both considered good officers, and no doubt had 
been honourable men. That their consciences hung 
so loosely about them, must be attributed to the ef- 
fect of example ; for where men will thus publicly 
boast of their dishonesty, they must have been in 
the habit of associating with those, who applauded 
and took part in their disgraceful irregularities. 
They pretend, that necessity compels them to shift 
for themselves, and that if a man were to confine 
himself to the dictates of honesty, he would always 
remain embarrassed, and be considered meanly of 
by the inhabitants themselves. But these men, 
who rob private individuals under the pretext of 
necessity, and the alleged inability of the govern- 
ment to pay its creditors, in one night, will gamble 
away sums, which would support them for a year. 
December %Mh. Left the farm-house on the road, 
at 8, A. M. and after a very pleasant ride of two 
hours, over the Sabana Larga, a rich but unculti- 
vated plain, arrived at Valeria — thirteen miles; a 
small village of twenty houses, and a thatched 
church. This village doubtless owes its foundation 
to the proximity of a famous cacao and coffee estate, 
called La Hacienda de Plata. 

It is situated at the southern extremity of the sa- 



VALERIA. 17i 

vanna, and must formerly have been an extremely 
rich plantation, judging from the fine spacious man- 
sion and out-houses, its costly enclosures of ram- 
med clay, covered with tiles, and the extensive 
range of noble shade-trees, planted to shield the 
more delicate coffee and cacao trees from the direct 
influence of the sun, and to prevent the moisture of 
the soil from being evaporated too rapidly. Yet 
now, all wears the appearance of dilapidation., 
The enclosure in some places is overturned ; thus 
opening the way to further destruction from the cat- 
tle of the neighbouring plain. The numerous 
houses are out of repair, and some of the fine shade- 
trees, stripped of their leaves and bark, rear their 
blanched trunks, and spread their useless branches, 
giving to the scene a double appearance of deso- 
lation. 

This is said to be a confiscated estate of some de- 
voted royalist. The neglect and ruinous condition 
may be attributed to the impolicy of government, 
in renting these estates to persons whose only ob- 
ject is to enrich themselves during their brief pos- 
session, which will only continue, till the commis- 
sion appointed for that purpose assign them to their 
new masters. Another cause may be, the desertion 
of the slaves formerly attached to the soil ; allured 
to take arms in defence of the country, by the pro- 
mise of freedom after five years service. 

This neglect of agriculture is one of the disad- 
vantages of the revolution ; yet, however, deplora- 
ble such desolation may appear, the restoration of 



178 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

one slave to bis rights as a man is an ample equi- 
valent. 

The Hacienda de Plata is not a solitary instance ; 
there are many estates which have yielded from 
twenty, to forty thousand dollars a year, now com- 
pletely waste and unprofitable. 

We changed our mules at Valeria, and set out 
about % P. M. in a shower of rain, being spurred 
to this movement by a report that some of Morales'* 
parties were hourly expected, and arrived in the 
evening, somewhat after dark, at Mendoza — twelve 
miles. 

At this place we put up, for the first time, at the 
priest's house, having been little satisfied with that 
assigned us by the second Alcalde, who officiated 
in the absence of his chief, absent at his own house 
about one league distant. On riding to the Padre's 
door, we perceived, from the sound of musical in- 
struments, that some entertainment was in prepa- 
ration. We found, upon entering, a number of 
villagers, and apparently all the boys, assembled. 
It was Christmas-eve. The Padre, after assign- 
ing us seats at one end of the room, walked up and 
down with an air of complacency. Shortly, com- 

* An action was fought on the Saba. a Larga a few days after 
we traversed it. Morales arrived at Mendoza on the 4th of 
January. By this gentleman's famous proclamation, which 
Captain Spence protested against with much spirit; all foreign- 
ers who should dare to land on any of his Catholic Majesty's 
possessions in America, without his gracious leave, were sub- 
jected to the inconvenience of three years labour on his forti- 
fications. 



MENDOZA. 1/3 

menced an overture on a harp, violin, three or four 
banjos, and some wind instruments. Then, four 
boys, standing up, recited in a strange voice and 
with the most imperturbable gravity, a religious dia- 
logue in verse. Each having recited in turn, they 
changed places several times, striding in the diago- 
nal of the room, strumming at the same time upon 
their banjos. A comic dialogue was then recited, 
which produced much glee, and was followed by 
music and the dispersion of the corps ; leaving us 
to a funcion we relished much better at the mo- 
ment, the discussion of some potatoe and onion 
soup, chocolate and eggs. 

Mendoza contains about thirty houses, mostly 
thatched, arranged around the square, and has a 
church, covered with the same material, resembling 
a huge hay-stack. A new one, however, of stone, 
was nearly completed. 

The night was spent in serenades, throwing 
crackers, and discharging fire-arms. Next morn- 
ing, Christmas-day, the service of the church was 
attended with unusual ceremonies. The musicians 
of the preceding evening constituted the choir, and 
the Padre's servant, stationed at the church door 
with a burning brand, sent up rockets at intervals. 

Owing to the Alcalde's living so far from the 
village, we were apprehensive of being delayed ; 
but notice having been sent to him the preceding 
evening, he came to town by eight o'clock, bringing 
with him our mules and jpeones, men who have 
charge of, and walk with, the mules. 



174 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

December 25th, Every person being employed 
in religious duties, we were unable to set out till 
ten o'clock. We arrived at Timothes, an Indian 
village — 24} miles, at eight, P. M. The inhabi- 
tants had retired to rest. We were some time in find- 
ing the Alcalde's house ; when at last we had suc- 
ceeded, he was either absent or unwilling to open 
his door. This was the only time we discovered 
any thing like a disposition of unwillingness to re- 
ceive us, and we attributed it to the lateness of the 
hour. Failing to gain admission to the Alcalde's, 
like other Christians in distress, we looked for re- 
lief to the church. We knocked, and the door was 
opened unto us by the Padre, not, however, with- 
out rather a silly question, considering our move- 
ments were subject to the ever- procrastinating Al- 
caldes, and impeded by the natural difficulties of 
the route, as to the cause of our late arrival. We 
turned into our hammocks without supper, and 
passed the night uncomfortably, on account of the 
cold. 

By a law of Colombia, the S5th, &6th, and 
S7th days of December, are set aside as national 
festivals. The first day is that of independence ; 
the second, the anniversary of the union and the 
constitution ; and the third, is in commemoration of 
victories, and is consecrated to those who have 
fallen in arms for the republic. The ceremonies of 
each day conform to the objects celebrated. 

Although we were anxious to set out early, we 
were soon satisfied that it was in vain to attempt to 



FIESTA OF INDEPENDENCE, iJ5 

move till after the fiesta; at the risk of being rated 
by our next host, on account of our late arrival. 

After mass, all the men who could beg, borrow, 
or steal a horse, assembled in the plaza, the Padre 
and the Alcaldes at their head. They rode to the 
church door, and received the national flag, and two 
others, those of Venezuela and Cundinamarca, the 
former governments, which now constitute the con- 
solidated republic. The flags were carried through 
the village by the Padre and Alcaldes, followed by 
the cavalcade, and accompanied by the harsh music 
of the Indian pipe and two drums. The banners 
were then deposited in the church; the cavaliers 
divided themselves into two equal parties, headed 
by the priest and the chief Alcalde, and taking their 
stations at two corners of the plaza, on the same 
side, commenced racing diagonally across the 
square. As soon as one of the party started, an 
opponent from the other set off at full speed ; the 
aim of the sport being to pass in advance of the ad- 
verse horseman, not altogether unlike a prisoner's 
base, on horseback. This continued without inter- 
ruption for a length of time ; as those who had cross- 
ed the square in the contest of speed, "kept the 
mill a-going," by returning along the sides, to the 
place of starting. Afterwards, they performed evo- 
lutions similar to the military manoeuvres of our 
circus. 

In every city, town, and village throughout the 
country, similar sports, varied by the taste and 
wealth of the community, are carried on. We were 



176 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

unfortunate in being in the poorest villages during 
the celebrations. At Bogota, they were attended 
with much parade and expense. In that city there 
were four parties, representing the four quarters of 
the globe. Some of the dresses of the Asiatics are 
said to have cost upwards of one thousand dollars. 
Independently of the coursing, and many other 
ceremonies ; feats of agility and address, such as 
running at the ring with the lance, and striking off 
the heads of images with the sabre, were introduced. 
A representative of America gained the palm of 
course, which produced no little exultation. 

December 26th. The ceremonies of Timothes pre- 
vented us from leaving that village till four, P. M. 
We got to La Puerta, a poor village of twenty-five 
huts, a little after seven — twelve miles. 

December 27th. Left La Puerta at seven, A. M. 
crossed a very high mountain, called a jpai'amo. 
Upon the top, we encountered a very strong, pierc- 
ing, cold wind; but enjoyed a most extensive, 
though cheerless prospect. For, no bustling town 
or smiling village, no human habitation, human 
being, or the trace of one, except the nearly obli- 
terated foot-path, and the innumerable rude crosses, 
placed upon the summit, by devout and weary tra- 
vellers, are here, to press the conviction that you 
are not alone in the world. 

In crossing the paramo, the wind, so strong at 
intervals as to oppose considerable resistance to 
your progress, and great inconvenience to the eyes, 
meeting with no obstacles, passes silently on, and 



PARAMO. 177 

produces an undefinable uneasiness, lest the invisi- 
ble, inaudible agent, increasing in force, should 
sweep you from the face of the earth. The stupen- 
dous masses, their height and distance, sink you 
into insignificance. Convinced of the utter power- 
lessness of man, estranged from society, you draw 
near your companions, to yield or receive support; 
and, impressed with an awful, concentrated feeling 
of humiliation and pure devotion, you silently ac- 
celerate your pace, anxious to regain the fruitful, 
secure, contracted valley, and its teeming popula- 
tion ; that you may, on that narrow stage, recover 
your lost importance, and vaunt in safety the power 
of the lords of creation. 

The only growth upon these dreary heights is a 
sort of gigantic mullen, about the size of a man, 
and not unlike one in appearance at a little distance. 
There are no trees to obstruct the view ; you look 
down on mountains, piled one upon another, in the 
wildest confusion ; and are enabled to trace the 
direction of the various ridges, and the winding 
courses of the mountain rivers, reflecting a silvery 
streak from the depth of the vallies, with as much 
precision, as the delineations on a topographical 
map. 

Having crossed the Paramo, we got to the next 
village, Mucuchies — fifteen miles, by one o'clock. 
It is a considerable place, but no other way remark- 
able than in containing a very large church. The 
Alcalde was absent, but had left directions for our 
accommodations. We had the choice of his own 



178 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

house or one near it, which was vacant; we accept- 
ed of the latter, to give less inconvenience to the 
family. Supper and breakfast were furnished from 
the Alcalde's house. As the weather was cold, 
we resigned our hammocks and slept upon bed- 
steads, formed of rough wooden frames, covered 
with a dry hide, stretched tightly across and con- 
fined with tacks. These are the only bedsteads 
found on the road. After leaving the town next 
morning, we met the Alcalde, who accosted us po- 
litely, and inquired, whether we had been satisfied 
with our reception and entertainment. 

December 28th. Left Mucuchies at nine, A. M. 
and arrived at the city of Merida — twenty-eight 
miles, at six P. M. passing through the villages 
Mucuraba and Fabay. 

Merida, founded in 1558 by Juan Rodrigo Sua- 
rez, in 8° 10' north latitude, and 3° 10' 30" east 
longitude from Washington, is beautifully situated 
on an elevated plain, about four hundred feet above 
the small rivers Mucujun, Albaregas, and Chama, 
which wash its base on three sides. But these 
rivers, as they are called, are not navigable ; ac- 
cording as the season is wet or dry, they are either 
bubbling brooks, or impetuous torrents. 

The city contains from eight, to ten thousand in- 
habitants. It was formerly one of the most wealthy 
and elegant in the country, but was totally destroy- 
ed by the earthquake of 181&. A large portion is 
still in ruins, many of the former inhabitants remain- 
ing buried under the rubbish of the houses. The 



MERIDA. 179 

remains of a bishop were recovered, a short time 
before our arrival, and inhumed. Near the city 
there is a deep crevice, formed by the same con- 
vulsion, which overturned the buildings. 

The lots, in the outskirts of the town, are en- 
closed for the cultivation of barley and Indian corn, 
for forage. These enclosures being of rammed clay, 
brown, and generally high, give a gloomy appear- 
ance to its approach. The streets, crossing at right 
angles, straight, well paved, and clean, are furnish- 
ed with streams of limpid water. 

The most striking object is the beautiful appear- 
ance of the neighbouring mountains, the summits 
of which are cap't with perpetual snow, called the 
Nevada of Merida. The highest peak is 15,201 
feet above the sea. After passing through the low, 
warm vallies, and suffering from the excessive heat, 
it is absolutely refreshing to gaze upon this stu- 
pendous summit of dazzling brilliancy. 

The sight of this snowy dome recalls the recol- 
lection of my native land, whose ample bosom is 
probably at this time covered with a sheet of equal 
purity; but my countrymen are not permitted, while 
invigorated by its presence, to gather the golden 
orange, or inhale the balmy breath of spring. 

Here, too, I am reminded of the time of the year. 
Such is the force of association and habit, that al- 
though I know, and my lips utter it is December, 
still, I seem to want the internal conviction that this 
is the case ; and every thing around conspiring to 
aid the delusion, I shortly relapse into the habitual 



180 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

belief that I am enjoying the delightful season of 
summer. A slight uneasy feeling is thus produced, 
by the constant necessity of resorting to a mental 
effort to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion, which 
is no sooner attained, than destroyed by the impres- 
sions of surrounding objects. Those who have been 
annoyed, on visiting a strange place, at finding that 
the sun rises in the west; or he who, after taking a 
nap in a stage coach, perceives the confident and stub- 
born driver is bent upon whirling him in an oppo- 
site direction to that of his journey, will be able to 
comprehend this sensation. 

There are boiling springs on the mountains of 
Merida, and a silver mine near the city, but it is not 
worked at present. Formerly, copper and silver 
were found on the coast of Caracas, but these mines 
have been lost. The only method now employed 
in Colombia to procure the precious metals is by 
washings. 

We were furnished with excellent quarters, and 
received visits from the Military governor, the In- 
tendent of the province, the chief ecclesiastic, a 
number of priests, and the principal inhabitants. 

At night the weather was uncomfortably cold, 
although the mercury stood at 69°. My sleeping 
apartment was furnished with a very pretty shrine, 
neatly and tastefully decorated with the figures of 
the Virgin and Infant, in wax, and adorned with 
fresh flowers ; most probably by the hands of our 
fair hostess— the witness of her secret and daily de~ 
votions. 



MERIDA, 181 

To judge from appearances, the shrine to which 
her husband was most devoted must have been the 
cock-pit ; for the inner-court of his house was lined 
with those models of the " gallant soldier and fine 
gentleman/' each tied by one leg, in training for the 
field of death or victory. The Colombians are very 
fond of this sport, which occasions the loss of much 
time and money. This vice of the people was fos- 
tered by the late government, on account of the re- 
venue, which the tax on game-cocks yielded to the 
state. 

December 29th. "We remained in Merida this 
day, as our baggage had not arrived. It came up 
about the middle of the day with our Creole servant, 
in whose charge it was placed. He made some 
awkward excuses for his long delay, said he had 
been ill-treated and confined. It appeared, how- 
ever, that he had been guilty of some misconduct, 
and his sword had been taken from him at Fabay. 
He was told he should not accompany us further, 
unless he recovered his sword, and we set out the 
next day without him. 



CHAPTER X. 

"LEAVE MERIDA — SAN-JUAN — MILITARY ESCORT— BRIDGE 

MOUNTAINS DANGEROUS ROAD EST ANQUES— CACAO 

TREE BESOIN DE SOCIETE BAILADORES TOBACCO 

MONOPOLIES — LA GRIT A — PARAMO — TARIBA— CUCUTA. 

December 30th. Left the city of Merida at 1, P. 
M. Arrived at Egedo — ten miles, at 4|. This 
is a long village, of one street, containing upwards 
of a hundred houses, covered with tiles, and sur- 
rounded by fine gardens and fruit trees. Oranges 
and apples were growing by the side of each other, 
and excellent blackberries are found along the road. 
From the fruits growing in the open air, this must 
be about the temperature of our spring, yet we ex- 
perienced an uncomfortable degree of cold. Quar- 
tered at the Alcalde's. 

December 31st. Left Egedo at 8, A. M. Arrived 
at San-Juan, a scattering village — 12 miles, at 
noon. In the evening, our Creole servant rejoined 
us ; he had succeeded in recovering his sword, and 
was punished for his frolic by a long march, which 
was of service to him. 

On leaving Merida, we had been furnished with 
a letter to the commandant of San-Juan, by the 
commandant of the Department, an intelligent and 
well informed Italian. This letter contained an 
order, to furnish the party with an escort, if, on our 



SAN-JUAN. 18S 

arrival at San-Juan, the officer stationed at that 
place, should think it necessary to our safety. In 
consequence, we were furnished with an officer 
mounted, and twenty men on foot. 

1823. January 1st. We left San -Juan at 4 
o'clock, A. M. On leaving the town, we were hail- 
ed by the different parties on duty, and at a little 
distance, found the escort on the road, where they 
had been stationed, with their arms in their hands, 
to be ready at any hour we chose to set forward. 

By the light of a clear moon, we had an oppor- 
tunity of observing distinctly the curious cavalcade. 
The soldiers marched in single file, preceded by 
the officer; the road, or rather mountain pass, not 
admitting a more extended front. Then followed 
our own party, led, as was invariably the case, by 
our guide, in full costume; with spurs upon his bare 
heel, sword and cross belt, carabine attached to his 
saddle, and lance with its little flag, supported by 
a socket in the stirrup, swinging from the right arm 
by a loop — presenting a great resemblance to a Cos- 
sack. The baggage with its conductors, and a small 
guard brought up the rear. 

The inequalities of the road, sometimes of so 
steep an ascent, and at others descending so abrupt- 
ly, that a perpendicular position could not be main- 
tained in the saddle, afforded a good opportunity of 
seeing each individual of the party. The officer, 
possessing an animated countenance, black hair, 
large whiskers and mustachios, with a quick, pene- 
trating eye, was mounted on a sorry horse, not as 



18dfc NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

large as our mules. His caparison, an indifferent 
saddle, having small sticks suspended at each end 
by a cord, for stirrups, and a halter of rope, for a 
bridle. The horse was furnished by the Alcalde, 
whose business it is to answer requisitions of this 
kind, for the public service ; each town being pro- 
vided with twenty or more mules and horses be- 
longing to the government. As they are the pro- 
perty of no one, no care is taken of them ; they are 
ridden on all occasions, overladen, and most cruelly 
treated. The backs of all are shockingly galled, 
some, perfectly raw the whole extent of the pack- 
saddle ; nor does this exempt them from their labo- 
rious service upon roads, of which, one who has 
not travelled in this country, can form no concep- 
tion. These patient and much abused animals, are 
seen with broken limbs ; some so knock-kneed, that 
by repeatedly striking one against the other, the 
flesh is worn from the bone ; and others, with their 
hoofs turned inward, hobbling on their fetlock 
joints, yet performing the service of sound animals, 
They are kept toiling on till they fall down dead 
in the road, with the load upon their backs. We 
passed the carcases of many, and sometimes saw 
them yielding their last breath. 

The officer, whose long legs nearly scraped the 
ground, sauntered along, without ever deigning to 
guide his steed, even in the most dangerous passes. 
Frequently, to rest himself, he rode as if on a side- 
saddle, or with both feet crossed over the pommel, 
the halter resting on the animal's neck ; thus giv~ 



MILITARY ESCORT. 185 

ing a striking example of indifference to scenes of 
danger, acquired by those habituated to them. In 
the course of the day, he, in a good natured way, 
remarked his sorry equipment, saying, you see how 
the officers of Colombia are obliged to travel. Af- 
ter being an hour on the road, he was compelled to 
dismount at a long and steep hill, his jaded horse 
being no longer able to stagger under its burthen. 

The soldiers, for the most part barefooted, clam- 
bered over the stony footpath with astonishing acti- 
vity. With the exception of a military cap, they re- 
sembled the common people in their dress, having 
their blankets, with a slit cut in the centre, thrown 
over their uniforms and belts. They carried their 
muskets at will, and each picked his own path. I par- 
ticularly observed, that they scrupulously avoided 
getting their feet wet in crossing the mountain streams 
we encountered at every step ; frequently going a 
considerable distance around to avoid the water. No 
doubt, experience had taught them the injurious ef- 
fects of alternate wetting and exposure to the sun. 

From the nature of the road, the soldiers were 
able to out- travel those who were mounted ; for al- 
though the latter had the advantage in going up 
hill, the former could descend with so much more 
facility, that it gave them the superiority. The 
caution of the mule in descending, appears at first 
rather over- acted, and is apt to exhaust the travel- 
ler's patience, and give rise to a contention between 
the rider and the ridden, which the former soon 
inds, it is perfectly useless to continue. These sa- 



186 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

gacious animals know their business perfectly well ; 
in descending, their step is about six inches, and 
under these circumstances, the most cogent argu- 
ments of the whip and heel produce not the slight- 
est impression on the most spirited mule. 

Shortly after sunrise we wound down a steep 
hill to a river, over which was a bridge. The 
officer, beating the flanks of his horse with his 
long dangling legs, sprung ahead to a projecting 
part in the turn of the road, overhanging the bridge, 
and gave a shrill signal; which, after a brief inter- 
val of expectation, was answered by a small picquet 
guard, stationed at the pass. 

The small river, which when first seen from the 
height, might be compared to a riband, proved to 
be about eighty or ninety feet broad, deep and ra- 
pid. The bridge, formed of one arch, is thrown 
between two rocks, in the narrowest part. 

The method of construction is to lay a cradling 
of logs, covered with stones, in such a manner 
that each superior log shall project beyond the one 
upon which it rests. In this way, as the abutments 
increase in height, they advance likewise towards 
the centre of the stream, in the form of an irregular 
arch ; and when they approach within reach, are 
connected by long beams. No reliance for support 
is placed on the key stone principle; the bridge con- 
sisting of two levers, the weight of the stones and 
rubbish counteracting that of the passenger. Bridges 
of this description are from three to six feet wide, 
covered with reeds and earth, but without railings. 



MOUNTAINS. 187 

It was not considered safe for more than one horse- 
man to pass at the same time. On other occasions, it 
was necessary to dismount, and prove the strength 
of the bridge by driving a mule across. 

The officer, satisfied by inquiries that the enemy 
had not been at the bridge, sat himself down with 
his men, to breakfast. This consisted of a chunk 
of came seca, (dried beef,) and bread, washed 
down with a little aguardiente. While devouring 
his rough fare, he remarked, holding up and offer- 
ing me a piece of his dried beef, esta es la gallina 
de los officiates de Colombia, (this is our officer's 
fowl.) In a few minutes he and his party were on 
the march again ; but as we delayed some time, 
they got a mile or two in advance. 

The road continued along the course of the river, 
at first through a plain of cactus trees ; afterwards, 
on the side of the mountain, the rapid river foam- 
ing at our feet. The military escort, the apprehen- 
sion of the Spaniards, the nature of the road, and 
the sublimity of the scenery, all combined to ren- 
der this day's ride by far the most interesting of 
our journey. The bridle path, formed on the side 
of the mountain, followed the direction which op- 
posed the least difficulties. At first it was not much 
elevated above the river, but in the course of two 
hours' ride, we found our ascent had been consi- 
derable, and that probably, we were one thousand 
two hundred feet above the torrent. The path was 
extremely narrow ; on one side, the almost perpen- 
dicular mountain, on the other, a frightful pre- 
cipice. 



188 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Wrapped in admiration at the grandeur of the 
scene, we rode on in silence. At one time, my at- 
tention was drawn to some trees across the river, 
which had the appearance of men, with the sugges- 
tion that they were Spaniards. We continued our 
ride for a long time, without seeing our escort ; at 
length we began to think it had taken a different 
road; but shortly after, found their concealment 
was owing to the nature of the path. As the sides 
of the mountain were furrowed with immense ra- 
vines, formed by torrents, the road instead of de- 
scending, continued on nearly the same level, re- 
tiring into the mountain to the bottom of the recess. 
It so happened for a time, that when we were on 
a projecting part of the road, the escort was in one 
of these indentations ; and when, at last, we caught 
a view of the soldiers at a distance, they appeared 
like rats creeping on the roof of a house. 

In one place the path was not more than ten 
inches wide, having been narrowed by a little rill ; 
in others, it had been entirely washed away, and 
some travellers, who preceded us, had made the 
gap passable, by means of some brush-wood, co- 
vered with earth. The usual width, however, was 
from eighteen inches to four feet. 

Our guide did not fail to draw our attention, oc- 
casionally, to the most dangerous places, with some 
remark about the unpleasantness of a false step, 
and the risk of being drowned, on getting to the bot- 
tom. But the nature of the landing place would 
have been of little importance, after a fall of a thou- 



DANGEROUS ROAD,' 189 

sand feet. In the course of the day, the Creole's 
horse, actually blundered oft* the road ; but he was 
dexterous enough to throw himself from the saddle, 
without quitting his hold of the bridle. This hap- 
pened in one of the indentations, where the way 
was comparatively safe, had it taken place on the 
more steep projections of the mountain, the horse 
would -inevitably have been dashed to pieces, and 
hurled into the torrent below ; as it was, there was 
considerable difficulty in getting him upon the road. 
Mules are much more surefooted than horses. In 
situations in which it behoves them to be on their 
guard, I never knew one to stumble, or trip ; they 
plant the hoof with the utmost precision, and sa- 
tisfy themselves of a good footing, before trusting 
their weight upon the step. 

On leaving this perilous road, you descend a 
rocky spur of the mountain, very abruptly, by a nar- 
row way, hewn through the rocks. This pass is very 
famous ; a few men could defend it against a bat- 
talion. Here the officer waited for our coming up, 
when we proceeded together to Estanques — twenty 
miles, where we arrived at 10, A. M., and obtained 
quarters in the overseer's house. 

Estanques is a fine hacienda, owned by some gen- 
tlemen of Bogota. It is situated in a narrow valley, 
traversed by a creek, which is so remarkably ser- 
pentine that we crossed it twenty or thirty times in 
the course of an hour. The coffee and cacao plants 
are protected by majestic shade-trees, which give to 
the cultivated part the appearance of a venerable 
forest. 



490 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

66 The cacao, or chocolate tree, is a native of Spa- 
nish America, about as large as a small-sized apple- 
tree, seldom exceeding seven inches in diameter, 
and is extremely beautiful when laden with its 
fruit, which are dispersed on short stalks over the 
stem, and around the larger branches, resembling 
citrons, from their yellow colour and warty appear- 
ance. The leaves are alternate, stalked, drooping, 
about a foot long, and three inches broad, elliptic- 
oblong, pointed, slightly wavy, entire, and very 
smooth on both sides ; with one mid-rib, and many 
transverse ones, connected by innumerable veins. 
The petals of the flower are yellow, the calyx of 
a light rose-colour, and the flowers themselves 
are small and placed on tufts on the sides of the 
branches, with single foot-stalks, about an inch long* 

" Its fruit is red, or a mixture of red and yellow, 
and about three inches in diameter, with a fleshy 
rind, half an inch thick ; the pulp is whitish and of 
the consistence of butter, containing the seeds of 
which chocolate is made; there are generally twen- 
ty-five seeds in each fruit, and when freshly gather- 
ed, are of a flesh-colour. Each tree yields about 
two or three pounds of fruit annually, and comes to 
maturity the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh year 
after planting from the seed; it also bears flowers 
or fruit all the year round, the usual seasons for 
gathering being June and December." 

A race of clear water, supplied from the more 
elevated bed of the creek, after turning a mill, is 
conducted through the plantation and employed in 



ESTANQUES. 191 

irrigating the grounds. The hydraulic works of 
this country, principally for the purposes of irriga- 
tion, and the supply of towns, although not con- 
ducted with much skill, are really surprising from 
their extensiveness, considering the scanty popula- 
tion. In many places, the water is conducted for 
miles, along the sides of precipitous and arid moun- 
tains, its channel frequently cut in the solid rock, 
for the purpose of fertilizing a single plantation, 
and consequently at the expense of its proprietor. 
But these stupendous works cease to astonish, 
when the enormous revenues of the plantations are 
considered. 

The village consists of the mansion-house, at 
present occupied by the overseer, and the huts of 
the slaves, who are almost all females ; the men, 
probably, having joined the army. It also contains 
a large church, but has no resident priest; the ser- 
vice being occasionally performed by one from a 
neighbouring town. 

On our arrival, we perceived it was a holy-day. 
The slaves, a mixture of the African and Indian 
races, called Zambos, were collected before the 
overseer's house. They were neatly dressed ex- 
actly in the same manner ; for there is no variation 
in the costume of slaves, or servants. Each indi- 
vidual received her straw hat full of cacao or cho- 
colate nuts, and retired to her respective lodge 

The whole was conducted with the most sober 
propriety; there was no talking or giggling, as might 
have been expected from an assemblage of women 



198 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

of this class. The Indian temperament appeared to 
predominate, as was evident from their placid cast 
of countenance, and taciturnity. The group of about 
fifty or sixty evidently consisted of three genera- 
tions; you could distinguish the grandmothers, 
whose locks were slightly silvered; the more de- 
cided forms of the mothers ; and the daughters, by 
their elegance of proportions. There was a family 
likeness observable in them all. They were tall, 
well formed, graceful in their movements, unfetter- 
ed by dress ; and if it had not been for the labour 
they were compelled to undergo, some would have 
afforded exquisite models for the sculptor. 

To define the animal man, has long been a diffi- 
culty with philosophers. Their definitions have 
been as various as unsatisfactory. The " bipes im- 
plumis" held its ground till Diogenes played off 
his rude joke. Then we had the " laughing ani- 
mal," till the confounded monkey, perpetually gal- 
ling our kibes, grinned at our errour. Balaam's ani- 
mal stepped in to deprive us of another peculiarity. 
The " lying animal," suggested by the race of tra- 
vellers, and a host of others, succeeded. And now 
we must fain put up with the homely French defi- 
nition " bi-main" till some two-fisted animal shall 
square off, prepare to argue the matter in a scientific 
set-to, and drive us from the ring. But the defini- 
tion I have at present to do with, is that given by 
the wily Persian, from which he endeavoured to 
deduce, that the French were men par excellence, 
by characterising them as " sociable animals. '" 



BBSOIN DE S0C1ETE. 193 

This distinction is possessed by the Colombian-, 
in an eminent degree. High and low, rich and poor, 
are alike unable to dispense with society. For this 
reason, the whole population is collected into towns 
and villages. In passing from one to another, you 
invariably cross a desert, and step at once from the 
haunts of wild beasts, to those of men. 

The evils of this besoin de societe are immense : 
their effects upon industry, morals, agriculture, and 
population extremely injurious. Idleness, gossip- 
ping, vice, disease, obsequiousness, and a depen- 
dency upon the exertions of others, are the inevit- 
able consequences. An intrepid, vigorous, indepen- 
dent, and industrious population, is only to be found 
in the woods and fields. 

The same fondness for society, induces the 
wealthy planter to take up his residence in a city. 
where, surrounded by numerous servants, lost to 
productive labour, he follows the bent of his incli- 
nations, to the entire neglect of his own interests, 
as well as those of his dependants. His plantation 
in the mean time, left at the disposal of ignorant, 

nesjlisent. and dishonest overseers, is but half cul- 

3 .... 

tivated; and thus, while undermining his own 

fortune, he assists in the impoverishment of his 

countrv. 

January 2d. Left Estanques at 6. A. M. arrived 
at Bailadores — twenty-six miles, at 2, P. If. resting 
an hour on the road, which we found extremely bad. 
The escort accompanied us as far as this place. 

On arriving, we found the village nearly deserted. 
25 



194 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

containing only a few old women who had nothing to 
lose. The Spaniards had been in possession of it 
some time previous to our arrival. Many of the 
houses in the plaza were still barricaded, and had 
loopholes for musketry, to assist in the defence of 
the place. Its present abandonment was owing to 
Morales' advance into the country, from the lake of 
Maracaibo, near the head of which we now were. 

The Alcalde informed us, that the enemy were in 
possession of La Grita, our next stage, and show- 
ed us his orders to prevent any communication 
with that city. Thus we were detained in this 
miserable, half-ruined Indian village, under the con- 
stant apprehension of an attack, and experiencing 
the greatest difficulty, to obtain provisions for our- 
selves, and forage for the mules. 

To add to our embarrassment, the Alcalde was 
unable to furnish fresh mules. We required six, 
which, in addition to our own four, were absolutely 
necessary for ourselves, baggage, and servants. 
Finding we could not get a relay, we determined 
to keep those we had. These were driven into the 
court of the house we occupied, and kept in readi- 
ness for immediate flight. Had it been proper for 
persons in our situation, we might have made a 
Benderian resistance. Besides the officer and his 
detachment, we had the Carabobo sergeant, two ser- 
vants, the two old and two new peones ; all furnish- 
ed with arras of one description or another, and shut 
up in a strong, thick walled house, and enclosed 
court-yard. But as this was out of the question. 



. BAILADORES. 195 

except in self- defence, we relied for safety on the 
fleetness of our mules. 

The country in the neighbourhood of this place 
is noted for the excellence of its tobacco. We saw 
some, cultivated iu small patches, in and near the 
village. This article is the only one of the numer- 
ous royal monopolies, continued by the present go- 
vernment; but it is to be hoped merely as a tempo- 
rary expedient, and not as a permanent financial 
resource. Under the former government, lands 
were allotted in the most favourable districts for its 
cultivation, to those who made application. The 
whole of the crop was deposited in the king's store- 
houses, and paid for by a public officer, at a certain 
rate according to its quality. 

The exigencies of the Colombians — the fact of 
there being numerous public storehouses, and a 
class of persons educated for this branch of admi- 
nistration, distributed throughout the country — the 
existence of the system — and the acquiescence of 
the people, accustomed to this mode of deriving a 
revenue — furnish an excuse to the republicans for 
its continuance. But surely the lessons of expe- 
rience will not be long disregarded by the present 
enlightened rulers. Perhaps no principle is more 
firmly established, than that every branch of indus- 
try thrives best, and ultimately most effectually 
benefits the government, by first administering to 
the ease and comfort of the citizen, for whose wel- 
fare the government is instituted, when left unre 
stricted to individual enterprise. 



196 NOTES ON COLUMBIA. 

The prohibition by the mother country, which 
rendered it criminal for any person in Spanish 
America to cultivate the vine or olive, except for 
table use, lest it should injure the trade of Spain 
in those commodities, differs not in essence from 
the monopoly now censured. It may be expected 
then, that this last remnant of royal oppression will 
soon be removed; and that every citizen, entering 
upon the full enjoyment of his rights, may be per- 
mitted, without incurring the penalties Of crime, to 
employ that species of cultivation on his own land, 
which his intelligence points out as most conducive 
to his interest. 

Indigo is also cultivated here. The plant, as I 
saw it from the road, is not unlike the potato. The 
crop is cut in three months, and the dye produced 
by fermentation. It is then dried and packed in 
skins, in quantities convenient for transportation by 
mules — the seroons of commerce. 

After being detained one day, we were allowed 
to proceed. 

January Qih. Left Bailadores at nine, A. M. Ar- 
rived at half past eleven at a town of the same name — 
seven miles. Here we were provided with refresh- 
ments by the civil authorities, and succeeded in 
changing some of our mules. This town is inha- 
bited by Creoles, and contains many houses cover- 
ed with tiles. 

Left Bailadores proper, at three, P. M., intend- 
ing to put up at the last house on the hither side of 
a mountain we were to cross on the morrow. We 
got to it at four o'clock— six miles. 



MONOPOLIES. 197 

The road to this house is gradually ascending, 
and is bordered by well enclosed fields of grain, in 
a high state of cultivation, which is unusual, the 
tillage being generally attended to in a slovenly 
manner. Instead of small irregular patches on the 
sides of the hills, fenced in by brushwood, which 
is used for fuel, after the harvest ; we here see a 
whole valley waving with the ripening grain, and 
divided into fields by good enclosures. The [tra- 
ductions are those of a temperate climate. 

The usual enclosures for fields, are stone or 
rammed clay walls, cane fences, and hedges. For 
a few days past, I have remarked a kind, which 
perhaps is peculiar to this country. Quadrilateral 
pyramidal pits, about three feet at the base, and as 
many deep, are sunk in two rows, in such a man- 
ner, that the ridges formed by two adjoining holes 
in one row, shall be opposite the centre of the bases 
of those in the other row; in other words, a line of 
wolf- pits, presenting angular ridges, which cattle 
find it very difficult to cross. 

We had ascended so high, that we found the 
night extremely cold. The deep blue of the sky, 
and at night the brilliant stars and constellations, 
many of which are only visible in the southern he- 
misphere, fixed our attention. The beautiful con- 
stellation of the cross was particularly attractive, and 
shone conspicuous, as if placed as a sign, for the 
adoration of the nations beneath the sphere of its 
influence. 

January 5th. Left the last house at nine, A. M. 



198 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

and arrived at La Grita — seventeen miles, at halt 
past two, P. M. passing through the " desert of 
wild briars." 

La Grita, called a city, is a town of the third 
class in this country, as large as Wilmington, De- 
laware, though built in a more compact form. We 
found it nearly deserted ; the advance of the Spa- 
niards being about a league distant. The Juez- 
jpotitico, who assigned us our quarters, appeared to 
be in the greatest trepidation. While speaking to 
us, at every noise, he would start and listen. He 
told us his mules were kept constantly saddled, and 
that he slept in the mountains every night. This 
excessive apprehension, we were told, was pro- 
duced by the circumstance of his having been a 
short time before in the hands of his enemies, who 
had exacted half his fortune for his ransom. It 
was also said that he had escaped on these terms, 
as a favour, through the interest of his brother-in- 
law, an officer of the royal army. 

After having been perpetually haunted by Mo- 
rales, since leaving Truxillo, we were now actually 
at the advanced posts. The town was occupied by 
the garrison only ; patroles paraded the streets all 
night, and in the morning the houses were search- 
ed by a guard, lest the enemy should have been 
introduced during the night. 

The commanding officer, Colonel Gomes, a mu- 
latto, brought his officers to pay us a visit. After 
presenting them individually, by name, he asked 
our opinion as to their beauty. They were good 



LA GRITA. 199 

looking it is true, but the Colonel seemed to attach 
rather an undue importance to ^n adventitious ad- 
vantage not altogether indispensable in a soldier. 
He made a display of his English, by counting on 
his fingers as far as five, and assured us of his in- 
tention to attack the enemy next morning at day- 
break, which information made me quit my ham- 
mock at a very early hour, that I might be present 
as an amateur; but he did not keep his promise. 
Our facetious friend, the Colonel, furnished us with 
an escort, commanded by a Captain, and we took 
a circuitous mountain path to avoid the Spaniards,, 
who had interrupted the main route. 

January 6th. Left La Grita at 9f, A. M. ac- 
companied by an escort, and taking a by-road, ar- 
rived at the post-house El Cobre — eighteen miles, 
at 3|, P. M. This is a miserable hut, established 
f*or the convenience of the men who carry the mail, 
as a stopping place, previous to crossing the para- 
mo. It consisted of but one room, infested with 
vermin, and not large enough to contain the party. 
We experienced much difficulty in procuring pro- 
visions, and as no forage was to be had, the mules 
were turned loose upon the barren heath. 

January 7th. Left El Cobre, at 9, A.- M. crossed 
the paramo called Lumbador, and arrived at the 
first house— twenty miles, at 3, P. M. 

On the top of the mountain we enjoyed an exten- 
sive, dreary prospect, but were considerably incom- 
moded by the wind. In descending we met the 
advance guard of the troops coming from Cundina- 
marca to check Morales. 



300 KOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

January 8th. Left the first house at 9, A. M, 
and got to Tariba — twelve miles, at noon. This 
village is situated in an extensive valley. 

On the road this day, we encountered a long, 
straggling column of infantry and cavalry, com- 
manded by the Captain-general Urdaneta. The 
troops had halted, fires were kindled, and messes 
preparing along the side of the road. This lively 
scene was marked by that cheerful alacrity, and 
that abundance of fruitful expedient, so character- 
istic of the soldier and his life. The men looked 
miserably, on account of the want of uniformity in 
their dress, many being recruits, and their long and 
rapid march. There were some boys, scarcely fifteen 
years old, mostly blacks. We found the General 
about the centre of the column, on horseback, sur- 
rounded by his staff, in which were some English- 
men. He inquired the news of Morales, gave us 
that of the capital, and invited us to partake of his 
frugal breakfast, provided at a small hut on the 
road-side, but we excused ourselves, and pursued 
our route. 

These troops were entirely unencumbered with 
baggage; unless we except a number of women, 
who brought up the rear, on foot, or mounted in 
every variety of way. They appeared, however, 
to be no embarrassment to the column. One Ama- 
zon had yielded her burro to her husband, who was 
sick, and was trudging by his side, carrying his 
knapsack, belts, and musket, in high glee. 

January nth. Left Tariba in the morning, rode 



TARIBA. 201 

through San-Cristoval — four miles, to Capacho, 
sixteen — making twenty miles for this day's jour- 
ney. This is a miserable village. 

January iOth. After leaving Capacho, crossed 
some very elevated hills ; from the summit of the 
last, we had a remarkably extensive view of a fine 
valley, surrounded by mountains, embracing San- 
Antonio and San-Rosario de Cucuta, eighteen 
miles from our last stage. These are the border 
towns of Venezuela and Cundinamarca. When 
first seen from the heights, they suggested the 
idea of two harrows lying in a field ; nothing be- 
ing discernible at this distance but the rectangular 
direction of the streets, crossing each other like 
bars. 

The towns are about two miles apart, separated 
by the river, or rather creek, Tachira, the boundary 
of two departments of the present government, and 
the division line between the late Vice-royalty of 
New Granada and the Captain-generalship of Ca- 
racas. They may be compared, in point of size, 
to Frankford, Penn. though built in a square. 
San-Rosario, the residence of the first congress, is 
by far the finest town ; it contains an elegant, large 
stone church. 

Previously to crossing the division line and en- 
tering the kingdom, (as it is still called,) we were 
careful to exchange our silver, as the coin of Ve- 
nezuela is not current in Cundinamarca. 

We had no sooner passed the small stream than 
we found we were in a new country. The contrast 

S6 



' 



S0# NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

remarked by all travellers, on stepping across the 
creek which separates Spain from Portugal, cannot 
be more decided, than that observable, in wading 
scarcely ankle deep, through the less known Ta- 
chira. This marked difference is attributable to the 
jealous policy of the Spanish government. All 
commerce was interdicted between the Vice-royal- 
ties of America, in order to favour that with the 
mother country ; and the people of the separate go- 
vernments were kept in a state of ignorance, as to the 
very existence of each other, that by thus dividing 
them, they might be more readily kept in subjec- 
tion. We now find better houses, a more improved 
cultivation, more industry, and patriarchal simpli- 
city of manners, less vice and immorality, and a 
less mixture of different races. The mass of the 
population is composed of Indians, remarkable for 
their robust forms, and the mildness of their dispo 
sitions. 

Nothing can be more dissimilar than these In- 
dians, and those who rove in our forests ; they are 
as unlike as the climates in which they live. The 
short, thickset stature, and brawny limbs of one. 
are opposed to the stately form and delicate propor 
tions of the other. Instead of unconciliating pride, 
the attachment to an independent savage life, and 
the stern virtues of the forest ; you here meet with 
gentleness of disposition, obsequiousness, a fond- 
ness for society, and the milder virtues of the peace- 
ful hamlet. 

We remained the eleventh, twelfth, and thir- 






CUCUTA. S03 

teenth, in Kosario, all the montures having been 
put in requisition by the officers of the army. 

On Sunday evening we went to see the people 
amusing themselves in the plaza. They were 
dancing on the ground, most of them being bare- 
footed, though some of the men wore paragaters. 
A ring was formed, two or three played the part of 
candlesticks, and one, who appeared to be master 
of ceremonies, repressed the pranks of the boys, by 
the fear his long whip inspired. Two guitars, and 
a dry calabash filled with pebbles, to divide the 
time, constituted the orchestra. 

A woman dressed in the usual habit, having her 
straw hat placed knowingly on one side, glided like 
a duck, in the figure of an 8, taking such mincing, 
yet rapid steps, that she appeared to skim over the 
surface of the ground. The man performed many 
outre steps with the most imperturbable gravity, not 
moving much from one spot, yet dancing towards 
his partner, at each turn she made, as if to attract 
her attention. As one couple glided out of the ring, 
another supplied its place, the monotonous music 
continuing without the least intermission. The 
utmost decorum and order prevailed. We remain- 
ed half an hour, saw a number dance precisely in 
the same manner, and left them enjoying their 
amusement with unabated pleasure. 

I here had a chill, succeeded by a slight fever, 
which I attributed to exposure to the sun, and fre- 
quent bathing in the heat of the day. It was my 
constant practice, on halting for the day after our 



20* NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

short journey, to ramble about the country in search 
of novelties, and enjoy, if I could encounter a stream, 
the luxury of a bath. 

One night during our stay, Dr. M**#, an Eng- 
lishman, and a Creole Colonel, were quartered in 
the same house with us ; they were on their way 
from Bogota, to join General Urdaneta. The doc- 
tor was singularly equipped, with a large powder- 
horn slung across his shoulders, which seemed to 
be a useless appendage to a non-combatant. As 
soon as he dismounted, however, he invited us to 
drink, and we perceived that his horn was filled 
with gin, to charge himself instead of his pistols. 

On the 13th, a battalion of about seven hundred 
men passed through the town. At night we were 
awakened by an alarm of "the enemy is coming," 
shouted through the streets by some horsemen at 
full speed — but as we were non-combatants, it was 
no concern of ours, except so far as related to the 
reparation of the king's fortifications. ■ 



CHAPTER XL 

LEAVE CUCUTA HACIENDA PAMPLONA CHITAGA RE- 
LIGIOUS PROCESSION— CAPITANE JO STTATA SUSACON-— 

SANTA-ROSA PAYPA TUNJA ARRIVAL AT BOGOTA, 

January l^th. We were unable to leave Rosario 
de Cucuta, till the afternoon of this day, when we 
proceeded ten miles to a hacienda. Here we were 
treated rather cavalierly, being told to sling our 
hammocks in the corridor. The overseer refused 
to sell any provisions or forage. He called the ser- 
geant, who had been sent to him, a servant, which 
indignity the soldier very properly resented ; he 
showed his passport, put on the man of importance, 
talked of his being directed by the government to 
conduct the party through the country, and hinted 
that his superiors should be made acquainted with 
his conduct ; this, with a little more blustering, pro- 
duced the happiest effect. The overseer, who farm- 
ed the hacienda on account of the government, said 
he had been mistaken in his guests, was very sorry, 
and after many excuses, opened his best room and 
provided supper and breakfast. 

January 15th. From the hacienda, we proceeded 
twenty-two miles, to a post-house. In the evening 
Peter was missing ; but the next morning made his 
appearance. He had been drunk, had fallen with 
his mule, and injured it so much as to render it un- 
fit for present use. He was punished by being 



ZOO NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

made to walk off his debauch. Here, also, one of 
the baggage mules giving out, our guide, the. ser- 
geant, pressed one to supply its place. This he 
hiH< been obliged to do on other occasions. To give 
an idea of the tone assumed by the military, this 
sergeant would occasionally talk in the harshest 
manner to the Alcaldes of the smaller villages, giv- 
ing his orders in the most peremptory manner, and 
threatening, in his military language, to report them 
to their superiors, if they hesitated to obey. And 
on the road, his uniform of the grenadiers, his cara- 
bine and lance, commanded the most abject rever- 
ences from the passengers of the class of cultivators, 
without his deigning to reply to their courtesy, ex- 
cept by a careless nod, or some specimen of guard- 
room wit at their expense. The assumption of 
power of this, to us, invaluable man, was no doubt 
warranted by the custom of the country, and its 
exertion was absolutely necessary to enable us to 
prosecute our journey. But that a whole country 
should be put under requisition to forward the 
views of persons travelling under the circumstances 
we were, and subject to the very brief authority of 
a sergeant of grenadiers, speaks very little for the 
freedom of the people. But such abuses are, per- 
haps, inseparable from a state of war, in a country 
occupied by the enemy. I am only astonished at 
the quiet submission with which these burthens are 
borne. 

January 16th. Left the post-house at 7> A. M. 
passed through the miserable village of Chopo— 



PAMPLONA. 207 

twelve miles, and in the evening arrived at Pam- 
plona, twelve — twenty-four miles. The view of 
the city of Pamplona from the hills which surround 
it is extremely beautiful. As we approached, a 
heavy shower overtook us, and we rode up to the 
military commandant's house, completely drenched. 
We accepted his offer of shelter and refreshments, 
till quarters should be assigned to us. Our billet 
was upon the administrator of the customs, an officer 
I did not expect to find, some thousand feet above 
the sea, upon one of the spurs of the Andes. These 
ypuertos sicos, as they are called, impose a very in- 
convenient clog upon industry. A toll is exacted 
at them, upon goods transported from one district 
to another. 

Pamplona, built in a narrow valley, is in 6° 30' 
north latitude, and 5° 19' 30" east longitude from 
Washington, at an elevation of 8016 feet above the 
sea— mean temperature 61°, Fahr. 

We were detained here three days for want of 
mules. General Urdaneta, it was said, had been 
forced to retreat, and all the mules were employed 
to convey the hospital to a place of greater security. 

A battalion of infantry garrisoned the town. The 
troops were diligently engaged, the greater part of 
the day, exercising in the plaza, skirmishing in the 
streets, and upon the neighbouring heights. One 
evening a large herd of horses were driven into the 
plaza, while the troops were engaged in their firings; 
they immediately huddled together, and following 
a leader galloped in a circle, as long as the firing 
continued. 



S08 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

The ladies of the custom-house, both young and! 
old, were incessant smokers. This custom is pre- 
valent throughout the whole country, except in the 
first society of Caracas and Valencia. Owing to 
education, it requires an effort, to pay a lady that 
attention and respect which her station in society 
and character deserve, while she is indulging in a 
practice which we are accustomed to associate with 
the very lowest of the sex. 

January 20th. Left Pamplona at noon, stopped 
for the night one league beyond Cacota, a small, 
thatched village— fourteen miles. 

January 2ist. Our halting place to day was at the 
thatched village Chitaga, over a paramo — fifteen 
miles, where we arrived at noon. We found the 
people engaged in religious ceremonies in honour 
of the Saint, the patroness of the village. Her 
saintship was carried around the square on a plat- 
form, preceded by musicians and rocket throwers, 
and followed by the Padre and the villagers. The 
crowd knelt devoutly as she passed : after making 
the circuit of the plaza, she was reconducted to her 
throne in the church, and was obliged to surrender 
a part of the jewels and finery, lent her for the oc- 
casion. The afternoon was spent in the national 
and manly amusement of the bull-fight. While 
gazing on this spectacle, my attention was attract- 
ed by a scuffle between an old man, who from his 
antique dress, appeared to belong to another age 
and country, and a young spark, mounted on a fine 
horse, who had particularly distinguished himself 



CHITAGA. £09 

in the sports of the day. The old gentleman, with 
a vigour I did not suppose him capable of exerting, 
held the spirited horse, foaming from his violent 
exercise, by the bridle ; while the callant endea- 
voured to disengage himself by spurring his steed. 
I was not a little surprised to find myself appealed 
to by the patriarch, with the demand to lend my 
authority for the recovery of his horse. On referring 
him to the Alcalde as the proper person, he said 
that his horse had been procured under the pretence 
of the public service, for the convenience of su 
merced, (my grace;) but on coming to the village 
he found that they were killing his horse, in run- 
ning after bulls. The caballero finding himself de- 
tected, dismounted and returned the noble animal 
to its venerable owner. 

In the evening the Padre, who had shown him- 
self a fearless horseman in the sports, paid us a 
visit, with some of his friends. He was a young 
and very handsome man; his complexion was so 
very brilliant that I suspected he was rouged, his 
shirt trimmed with lace; in short, as great a cox- 
comb as I ever met with in any profession, not ex- 
cepting the military. Among other impertinences, 
this fellow, to give an idea of his acquirements as 
a linguist, turned to a servant who had just entered 
the room, and addressed to him, in English, an 
outrageously profane and vulgar sentence. I don't 
know whether the fool understood precisely the im- 
port of what he uttered, but he seemed to think it 

%7 



210 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

something vastly clever — it was, perhaps, a mere 
act of imitation. 

January 22d. Left Chitaga, at 7? A. M. arrived 
at Cerreto — twenty-seven miles, at 4, P. M. In 
some wet places, the road, by the continual tread of 
the mules in the same spot, is crossed by ridges, 
called harros. These cuneiform ditches, running 
at right angles to the road, extend for miles; they 
are mostly filled with water, and are about two feet 
deep. From their depth, the mule is only able to 
step from the bottom of one, to the top of the next 
ridge, then throwing its weight on the advanced 
leg, it slides to the bottom of the second ; at each 
plunge, throwing the mud and water over the 
rider's head. A nimble mule will sometimes walk, 
for some distance, upon the angular ridges, stepping 
with much precision from one to the other. But as 
the clay is very slippery, the animal cannot always 
sustain itself upon the bars, but will plunge occa- 
sionally to the bottom of the ditch ; the effort which 
follows to regain a footing, is very apt to dismount 
the rider. Two or three of our party were thrown 
into the mud, by the floundering of the mules. 

Cerreto is a tolerably large, thatched village, 
built on irregular ground. We were caught in the 
rain as we came in sight of it. The Alcalde was 
very attentive, and furnished mules without delay. 
The thatched church is built upon a mound, hav- 
ing a flight of very numerous steps leading to the 
door. 

January %Zd. Left Cerreto at 10, A. M. arrived 



CAPITANEJO. 311 

at Enciso — fifteen miles, at 3, P. M. passing the 
village of Concepcion. 

January 24*th. From Enciso, the road is very 
narrow and steep, passing over many spurs of 
the^ mountains, and along the courses of some tor- 
rents, to Capitanejo — twenty-two miles, at which 
place we arrived at 2, P. M. 

This is a thriving village, well watered, built on 
sloping ground, which extends from the mountain 
to a small river of the same name. Here is a per- 
manent bridge, having stone abutments ; the river 
is rapid and deep, though of but little breadth. 
The valley is rich in spots, which are cultivated ; 
but in others it is an arid barren, the soil having 
been covered by the gravel washed from the sides 
of the mountain. The cultivators oppose a barrier 
of brushwood to prevent this evil. Some of the 
streets are paved, and most of them have a limpid 
stream running through them. The plaza contains 
a very good church ; before its door is a splendid 
palm upwards of eighty feet high, perfectly straight, 
without branches, and surmounted by its beautiful 
umbrella-formed top. 

January 25th. Left Capitanejo at 9, A. M. ar- 
rived at Suata-— fifteen miles, at 5, P. M. stopping 
three hours on the road. 

Suata is a very comfortable tiled town, built on 
very uneven ground. Found the Alcalde ready to 
receive us in the plaza. We were furnished with 
quarters in the government house, well furnished 
with mats, sofas, pictures, chairs, &c. luxuries, 
with which we had not been lately acquainted 



&12 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

But the greatest comfort was the glazed windows 
—we had now entered the tierrafria. This house 
was of two stories, and most of those surrounding 
the plaza were of the same height. 

Being so comfortably situated, we rested one day. 
which we devoted to the improvement of our per- 
sonal appearance. My bushy head of hair, unshaved 
beard, and face, from alternate exposure to sun, 
rain, and the cutting winds of the paramos, as red 
as scarlet, presented a frightful appearance. I con 
sidered it fortunate that I had not been indulged 
with its reflection for a week past. We instituted 
a general search for niguas. I found three nests 
in my elbow, in a wound I had received in that 
part, by a fall on the brick floor from my hammock 
at Barquisemeto, and could not conceive the reason 
it would not heal. Our factotum, the sergeant, suc- 
ceeded in extracting them. The sacks containing 
the nits, were each as large as a pea; they were 
completely extirpated by filling the holes with hot 
ashes, and the wounds shortly after healed. 

This hatching insects in one's living flesh, pro 
duces a feeling of horror, that may readily be con- 
ceived. As no attention to cleanliness can shield 
you from the attacks of these animals, it is neces- 
sary to keep a constant watch for, and have them 
extracted by a skilful hand, without rupturing the 
sacks containing the animal ; as otherwise they are 
reproduced. If suffered to get a permanent lodge- 
ment, the most disgusting deformity, contractions 
of the muscles, incurable ulcers, and a total wasting 
of the soft parts, inevitably ensue. 



SUATA. 213 

Having occasionally met with much difficulty in 
obtaining provisions, I directed Manuel to procure 
a supply of dried beef, to carry with us. He pur- 
chased a piece about four feet square, and an inch 
thick, dissected from the ribs of the animal. On 
loading the mules, a hide was invariably placed 
over the trunks, to protect them from the rain. My 
surprise was excited, at seeing our dried beef 
strapped on over the hide; and on my remonstrating 
against such an exposure to the sun, rain, and dust, 
was made to comprehend, that the meat would 
spoil, unless exposed to the sun. Although our 
robe of beef was not very inviting to the eye, we 
removed that objection by diminishing it a vue 
d'Geil. 

January %7th. Left Suata at half past seven, ar- 
rived at Susacon — nine miles, at half past ten, A. Mo 
At this place the church bells were rung, and the 
inhabitants came out to meet us, with the Alcaldes at 
their head. We were conducted to a house, and serv- 
ed by the Alcalde and his wife at breakfast, con- 
sisting of a variety of dulces, meat, cheese, bread 
and butter. The latter we found a very great ra- 
rity, not having met with any since leaving the 
hospitable roof of Mr. Penalver, at Valencia. The 
Alcalde's lady dealt it out in equal proportions with 
the bread ; it proved excellent with the addition of 
a little salt. 

The usual mode of making butter in this coun- 
try, is by shaking the cream in a bottle. How these 
ignorant, amiable, and much abused people, would 



S14 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

stare, if told, that in a district of country in the state 
of New York, not larger than one of their over- 
grown estates, more butter is churned by dogs in a 
week, than is consumed by them in a year. Yet 
this statement I believe to be substantially true with 
regard to Orange county. 

We left Susacon at 1 o'clock the same day. Ar- 
rived at Satiba— twelve miles, at 5, P. M. Here 
we were met by the principal inhabitants on horse- 
back, headed by the vicar, about a mile and a half 
from the town ; and were greeted on entering the 
plaza, by the vivas of the assembled villagers, with 
compliments to the sister Republic of the North. 
On dismounting at the good ecclesiastics' house,, 
we found he had expected us the day before ; a ta- 
ble decorated with flowers, and covered with a 
snow-white cloth, was loaded with dukes, pastry, 
wines, and liqueurs. A few of the vicar's friends 
sat down with us and drank patriotic toasts. In the 
evening a splendid dinner was served, and next 
morning an excellent breakfast. Our host took a 
seat at the table, but declined eating at first, having 
intended to celebrate mass that morning; but at 
length, in compliment to his guests, he partook of 
the meal, and thus rendered himself incompetent to 
officiate for the day ; much to the dissatisfaction, no 
doubt, of some two or three old ladies of the vil- 
lage. 

The vicar made a display of a compass and dial 
suited to any latitude, made in London, a time 
piece, his watch, some maps and books, and a 



SANTA-ROSA. 215 

carved figure in wood. But he gratified us much 
more by showing us three Lamas from Peru. They 
resemble a camel in size and shape, except that 
they have no hump, with the head, face, and fleece 
of a sheep, and a beautiful, clear black eye. They 
were remarkably docile, and would place their long 
necks over your shoulder with the appearance of 
affection. In Peru they are used as beasts of bur- 
then, the load being six arobas — one hundred and 
fifty pounds. 

January 28th. Left Satiba at 9 ? A. M. the inha- 
bitants escorting us out of town ; stopped at Serin- 
za — twenty-eight miles. 

January 2Qth. Rode into Santa-Rosa — twelve 
miles, at noon ; received the same demonstrations 
of welcome, were conducted to the curate's, padre 
Olquin. Here we found the same preparation of 
dulces, wine, and a good dinner, at which, four or 
five priests assisted. Our host wore the decoration 
of the military order of Libertadores of Cundina- 
marca, bestowed upon him by Bolivar for his pub- 
lic services. 

Although the revolution was retarded by the in- 
fluence of the clergy — attached to a form of govern- 
ment analogous to their hierarchy — and was at 
times on the point of being defeated by their ana- 
themas against the republicans, and their ascribing 
the disastrous earthquake to a manifestation of the 
Divine wrath ; yet there were many ecclesiastics 
who rose above the prejudices of education, and 
found in the benefit of their country an ample com 



216 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

pensation for the loss of personal privileges. In 
stances have not been wanting of great devotion to 
the cause of the country in the priests; some of 
whom have led the armies of the republic to vic- 
tory, and sealed the cause with their blood. 

Preparations were making for a bull-fight in the 
plaza, by fencing in the avenues leading to it. We 
heard that the President was hourly expected to 
arrive at Bogota, and being desirous to witness his 
entre, we hurried on, notwithstanding the pressing 
invitations of our kind hosts, to witness thv fiesta, 
and arrived atPaypa — twenty miles, at 5, P. M. — 
thirty-two miles. 

Paypa is a comfortable village. A few miles 
from the town, we were overtaken by a gentleman, 
who entered into conversation. On arriving, he 
conducted us to the house of the priest, a canon. 
Our road companion turned out to be Padre Ma- 
lendez, who accompanied us in our next day's ride. 
The good old canon seemed to live very comfort- 
ably, had an excellent house, was surrounded by a 
family of nieces, and possessed a tolerably large 
library, with many other good things of this life. 
We were well entertained and comfortably lodged. 
On waking next morning at sun rise, I was some- 
what surprised at finding a fresh bouquet of flowers 
on my pillow — placed there, no doubt, by some 
laughing, black-eyed, guardian angel. 

January 30th. Left Paypa at 9, A. M. Arrived 
at Tunja — twenty miles, at 3, P. M. 

Tunja is in 5° 5' north latitude, and 3° 59' 30" east 



TUNJA 217 

longitude from Washington, at an absolute eleva- 
tion of 9522 feet, enjoying a mean temperature of 
56.6% Fahr. 

This is a fine, well built town, but does not seem 
to be in a flourishing condition at present. It con- 
tains a large church, one or two convents, and the 
government saltpetre works. Near this place it 
was that Bochica, the great legislator of the Muys- 
cas, the nation of Indians composing the kingdom 
of Cundinamarca, disappeared, after remaining on 
the earth for the space of two thousand years. 

We had been accompanied toTunja by Melendez, 
a very kind and intelligent man, of the regular order 
of Franciscans. We were comfortably quartered in 
the house of the superintendent of the government 
saltpetre works, established in this town, and very 
well entertained. Received visits in the evening from 
some half a dozen smoking young ladies, who were 
much amused by Melendez's account of our various 
sects, which he provokingly enumerated on his 
fingers, to the amount of twenty or thirty ; mention- 
ing some of the most generally known, and charac- 
terising them as so many distinct religions. The 
girls were highly tickled at the idea of the priests 
having wives. The good zealous Padre became 
rather warm in his ridicule of the Padres casados, 
(married priests.) It was only because I had not a 
ready command of Spanish, that I did not retort 
upon him, that we gave our priests one wife, to re- 
move all excuse for their interfering with those of 
the whole parish. 

28 



S18 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

Next morning, Melendez took me to see his con 
vent. I found it a very large stone quadrangle, 
capable of lodging a hundred priests ; though the 
present inmates did not amount to more than twen- 
ty-five. My conductor first ushered, me into a large 
room, appropriated as a school for the children of 
the town. The walls were decorated with portraits 
of some dignitaries of the church, as well as those 
of the President and Vice-President of the republic, 
and covered with paintings of the heathen divini- 
ties. He desired me to put on my hat, saying these 
are only dioses falsos. We then went over every 
part of the vast building, passed through the organ 
loft, containing seats for forty or fifty musicians*, 
and ascended to the roof and belfry, from which we 
had a fine view of the city. The chapel and galle- 
ries were hung with well executed pictures, on re 
ligious subjects. My friend led me to his cell, con- 
sisting of a small bed-room, a sitting-room, and 
closet for books. After smoking a segar, which it 
is the Spanish custom to offer on entering a room, 
Melendez conducted me to the apartments of the 
principal of the convent, Jose Antonio Chavis. I 
found him in a cabinet, filled with books, instru- 
ments, paintings, and other works of art. It was 
the study of a wealthy, philosophic gentleman. I 
was surprised to find the superior of a convent a 
young man, about twenty-eight years of age. He 
united the most prepossessing countenance, in which 
beamed the mildest and the most estimable of the 
Christian virtues, to the most engaging and fasci- 



CONVENT. 319 

nating manners. His sallow complexion, and de- 
licate frame, marked the close student. Perhaps 
the absence of robust health was owing to the rigor- 
ous discipline of his order. Its effects, however, 
were not so great on his constitution, as to render 
his appearance disagreeable, as is sometimes the 
case; on the contrary, his mortifications served but 
to give more animation to an expressive set of fea- 
tures, the index of a highly cultivated mind. The 
appearance of his fine head was improved by the 
tonsure. On entering, he met me cordially, enclosed 
my hand between his, asked after my health and 
the incidents of our journey, and inquired my opi- 
nion with regard to the country we had passed 
through. He offered segars, and a liquor made 
from coffee, a cordial which was new to me. On 
ascertaining that I was a North American, he hand- 
ed me a small volume, containing the constitution 
and some state papers of the United States, in Spa- 
nish. The work was of an old date, and contained 
the first census, which, with his consent, I correct- 
ed to the present number of inhabitants. In the 
course of conversation, he asked, with much naivete, 
whether, if he should go to the United States, he 
could obtain a passport to travel through the coun- 
try; and seemed much pleased, when I replied, that 
with us no such thing as a passport was known; 
each person assuming the right to travel when and 
whither he pleased, without the government's 
taking the least concern in the busiuess. I took 
leave of this ecclesiastic with regret ; never had I 



2&0 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

seen a person who impressed me so favourably, on 
so short an acquaintance. 

January 31sf. Rode to-day to Hata Vieja— 
thirty miles. We had now entered the valley in 
which the city of Bogota is built, and looked for- 
ward with satisfaction to the termination of our 
wearisome journey. 

February 1st. This day's journey was to Cho- 
conta — twenty-four miles. 

February 2d. Rode through Caxita to a village 
within five miles of the capital, passing the exten- 
sive plantation of the Yice-president, Santander. 
This princely domain, extending for miles along 
the road, is enclosed with an excellent stone wall. 
It is, at present, chiefly used as a grazing farm, and 
is stocked with fine herds of black cattle. A small 
river winds through the grounds, across which some 
fine bridges are thrown. Over the gateway of the 
principal entrance is the following singular inscrip- 
tion:^ — La Hacienda de los amigos de General 
Santander. — Does his Excellency believe in friend- 
ship? 

February 3d. Entered Bogota in the morning- 
five miles. 

Having left Caracas on the 12th of November, 
and arrived at Bogota on the 3d of February, we 
had been eighty-four days on the road ; but, as we 
made but fifty-two journeys, the average day's ride 
is nearly twenty miles, a distance by no means 
small, considering the difficulties of the road, the 
dilatoriness of the mule-drivers, procrastinations of 



ITINERARY. SSI 

Alcaldes, and the delays caused by the necessity of 
repeatedly adjusting the baggage, as the cords which 
confine it to the pack-saddles become slack. 

k . Recapitulation of Distances and Stages from Caracas. 

1822. 

Nov. 12. To Antimano 5 — Ajuntas4 — Mountain Buena- 

vista, San-Pedro 12 miles 21 

13. Mountain Coquisas, Consejo, Victoria 25 

14. San-Mateo Turinero, Maracay 20 

1 5. San-Joaquin, Fort Cabrara, Guacara, Guaro, 

Valencia -. - - - 35 

101 

28. Tocuyito 8— Carabobo 12 - - - 20 

29. Chirgua, Mountain Hermanas, Tinaquillo 20 

30. Las Palmas, Tinaco 20 
Dec. 1. San-Carlos 12 — San -Jose 3 - - - 15 

2. Camaruco, Caramacate 30 

3. Mountain Altar, Cuyisita 25 

4. Cabudara 26 — Barquisemeto 6 - - 32 

10. Cerros Blancos 6 — Quibor 24 - - 30 

11. Tocuyo 24 

13. Humaracara-bajo - - - - 18 

14. Pena, Agua Obispos - ... 36 
16. Carache ------ 14 

. 1 7. Santa- Ana - - - - - 20 

18. Truxillo ------ 21 

» 

23. To a house on the Sabana Larga - 15 

24. Valeria 13 — Mendoza 12 - - - 25 

25. Timothes ------ 24 

26. LaPuerta 12 

27. Mucuchies, over a paramo, very cold - 15 

28. Mucuraba, Fabay, Mebjda - - 28 

— 119 

Carried over - * - - - 545 



16~; 



162 



%%% NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Brought over - 545 

Dec. 30. ToEgedo ..... miles 10 

31. San-Juan ------ 12 

1823. 

Jan. 1. Hacienda de Estanques 20 

2. Bailadores, an Indian village - - 26 

4. Bailadores proper 7 — Last House 6 13 

5. La Grita ------ 17 

6. Post House, El Cobre - - - 18 

7. The first house over the Paramo Lumbador 20 

8. Tariba - 12 

9. San-Cristoval 4— Capacho 16 - - 20 
10. San-Antonia de Cucuta 17 — San-Bo sario 118 

14. A Hacienda ----- 10 

15. Post House ----- 22 

16. Chopo 12— Pamplona 12 - - - 24 

242 

20. One league beyond Cacota, - - 14 

21. Chitaga, over a Paramo - - - 15 

22. Cerreto ------ 27 

23. Concepcion, Enciso - - - - 15 

24. Capitanejo - - - - - 22 

25. Suata ------ 15 

27. Susacon 9— Satiba 12 - 21 

28. Serinza - - - - - - 28 

29. Santa-Rosa 12 — Paypa 20 - -. . ■ - 32 

30. Tunja --..-- - 20 

209 

31. Hata Vieja - 30 
Feb. 1. Choconta - - # '"- - - - 24 

2. Caxita, and a small village five miles from 

Bogota ------ 25 

3. Bogota - - 5 

84 

Miles 1080 



ty%m t/M ~&^ 




CHAPTER XIL 

VALLEY OP BOGOTA — CITY — CATHEDRAL — CONVENT SAN- 
FRANCISCO PRIVATE HOUSES BOLIVAR'S QUINT A — DIN- 
NER PARTIES TEQUENDAMA RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES. 

THE Muyscas, who formerly occupied the val- 
ley of Bogota, enclosed by the Paramo of Chingasa, 
through which the Funza rolls, and the Zipaquira 
mountains, containing hills of salt, were among the 
most numerous and civilized of the nations found 
in this part of America. They defended them- 
selves with great obstinacy against the Spaniards^ 
who experienced great difficulty in reducing them 
to subjection. Their traditions pretend to great 
antiquity; the most remarkable part of which, was 
the mysterious appearance of Bochica, son of the 
Sun, who presented himself among them ? while 
they were in dispute, relative to the election of a 
king. He was a white man, clothed in flowing 
garments, with a venerable beard. After listening 
to the contending parties, he pointed out Huncahua 
to the choice of the people. His kingdom was called 
Cundinamarca, and its ruler had the title of zaque, 
analogous to that of inca among the Peruvians. 
Bochica remained on the earth two thousand years, 
when he disappeared mysteriously at Iraca near 
Hunca, founded by the first zaque of Cundina- 
marca, and afterwards called by the Spaniards 
Tunja. He instructed and civilized the inhabi- 



AC » of 3, 



dyr/r, //r Y y„y„Y ,/ ' ' //, . -ty,,,//,,. 




224 NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

tants, worked miracles, instituted the calendar of 
the Muyscas, regulated their festivals, and divided 
their day and night into four parts. His week con- 
sisted of three days, the common year of twenty- 
moons ; but that of the priests, by which the festivals 
were regulated, of thirty-seven. Twenty of these 
great years formed a cycle. 

When Quesada, who founded the city, arrived at 
Bogota, he found that the Muyscas had made great 
advances towards civilization. The zaque was ab- 
solute ; his people carried him about in a sort of 
palanquin, attended by guards and courtiers; whilst 
flowers were strewed along the ground, over which 
he was to pass. They never approached him but 
with an averted face, as if they imagined that he 
was a divinity, in whose countenance they dare not 
look. 

These people subsisted chiefly by agriculture, 
were clothed in cotton garments, and lived in regu- 
lar society. Crimes were punished by judges, ap- 
pointed to watch over them, and they possessed in- 
dividual property, on which taxes were levied, for 
the support of government. They had temples, 
altars, priests and sacrifices ; but their religion, which 
consisted in the adoration of the sun, moon, Bo- 
chica, his descendants, and the evil deities, was in 
termixed with barbarous and bloody ceremonies, 
At the end of every fifteen years they sacrificed a 
boy, who had been previously educated in the 
temple of the sun at Sagamozo. The priests at- 
tended the victim to the sacrifice, and were masked 



VALLEY OP BOGOTA. 225 

like the Egyptian priests. One represented Bochica, 
who is the Osiris or the Mithras of Bogota ; to this 
person they assigned three heads, because, as is also 
the case with the Trimurtiof the Hindoos, he united 
three persons in one divinity. Another personated 
the monster Fomagata, the symbol of evil, hav- 
ing but one eye, four ears, and a long tail. This 
Fomagata, whose name signifies fire, or a boiling, 
melted mass, was looked upon as the evil spirit.— 
From Humboldt's Vues des Cordilleres. 

Bogota, the present political capital of Colombia, 
and former residence of the Vice-roy of New Gra- 
nada, was founded in 1538, by Don Gonzalo 
Ximines de Quezada. It is situated in 4° 36' 30" 
north latitude, and 2° 47" east longitude from 
Washington, at an elevation of 8721 feet above the 
level of the sea, in a fruitful valley about sixty 
miles long, and twenty broad, traversed by small 
rivers, and encompassed by mountains, some of 
which are covered with perpetual snow. 

Its population, (in 1823,) about 22,000. 

Mean temperature, 57.71°, Fahr.,* the range of 
the thermometer being but a few degrees. 

Rains are frequent from February to June. The 
climate is disagreeably chilly, on account of its ele- 
vation, and the clouds almost continually hovering 
over the city, and resting on the hills, close to which 
the city is injudiciously built. Owing to the con- 
formation of this ridge of hills, and the direction of 

* Mutis. 
29 



S26 NOTES ON COLOMBIA3 

the prevalent winds, the mists of the valley are 
driven along its sides, in eudeavouring to escape, 
and are condensed into torrents of rain, which fall 
over the city almost every afternoon during the wet 
season. The climate ten miles off, in the centre of 
the valley, is comparatively dry. 

The precipitous heights immediately in rear of 
the city, enveloped in perpetual mists, are crowned 
by two religious houses, Monteserrate and Guada- 
loupe, called hermitages. They are fast going to 
decay, and are nearly abandoned, having at present 
but three or four inmates; though formerly, so great 
was the desire to gain admission to houses of this 
description, that in some of them, three thousand 
dollars were exacted for the privilege. The revo- 
lution has given a new inclination to the minds of 
the people. They begin to perceive, that the em- 
ployments and duties of society are as agreeable, 
and quite as useful, as counting beads, and living 
in a perpetual fog. 

The plan of the city is regular ; the streets, about 
twenty-five feet broad, are well paved, cross each, 
other at right angles, and are supplied with running 
water. Three streams, descending from the moun- 
tain, traverse the city ; over these, are eight excel- 
lent stone bridges. The principal houses, and par- 
ticularly those of the calle real, are of two stories, 
built in the usual manner of rammed earth, or sun- 
dried bricks, plastered and whitewashed, and pro- 
vided with balconies projecting over the street. 
The side walks of the main street are flagged, and 



CATHEDRAL OF BOGOTA. 2&J 

the houses lining it are uniformly painjted with an 
ornamental border, running at the height of about 
four feet from the pavement. 

There are six or eight well built stone churches, 
besides the cathedral ; eight or nine convents ; the 
palace of government, a library, mint, colleges, 
hospitals, six or seven stone sculptured fountains, 
supplied by an aqueduct, and other public struc- 
tures. 

The Cathedral of Bogota, with the custom-house, 
occupies the east side of the plaza-major. This 
edifice was planned by a monk, and constructed by 
a mason of the country, neither of whom had ever 
seen a building of the kind. The material is a 
cream-coloured stone, very neatly hewn. The front 
of the cathedral is two hundred feet; the building 
is elevated upon a smoothly flagged terrace, thirty 
feet broad, extending along the front. This terrace 
is ascended by ten or twelve steps, and affords an 
agreeable walk ; having a view of the government 
house opposite, the courts of justice and barracks 
on one side, shops on the other, and beneath, a 
finely sculptured fountain, and the busy scene of 
the market. 

The front has three immense entrances, the centre 
one arched, and about twenty feet high. The doors in 
imitation of bronze, studded with gilt-headed bolts, 
open into their respective aisles. Large pilasters, 
the bases of which are six or eight feet high, 
occupy the front. On each side are two moderately 
high towers, containing the belfries, terminated by 



£28 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

cupolas. The depth of the building is three nun 
dred feet ; one side, extending along a street the 
whole length of the square, presents nothing but a 
wall, having one door and a number of small win- 
dows. The roof is surmounted by a dome, serving 
to throw light upon the high altar. The interior 
is neatly paved with square bricks, and divided 
into three aisles, by two rows of columns, of great 
beauty, which support the vaulted roof. The aisles 
lead, one to the wardrobe, the other to an interior 
chapel and the apartments of the priests. The 
nave, near the door, is interrupted by a clumsy 
choir, extending between the rows of columns, thus 
intercepting a view of the altar from the square. 
On passing around this heavy structure, you are in 
front of the high altar, placed in a semi-cylindrical 
alcove, brilliantly lighted by the windows of the 
dome. The altar is somewhat elevated, and is as 
rich as paintings, sculpture, gilding, silks, velvets, 
and jewels can make it. Along the sides of the 
church, are arched recesses, in which there ace 
shrines or smaller altars, six on each side, all very 
rich and beautiful. The walls are hung with some 
large, well executed, scriptural pieces. The columns 
of the interior are of the Ionic order, about fortv 
feet high, of mason work, but so beautifully plas- 
tered as to imitate the polish of fine marble; the 
capitals are richly gilt. Attached to two of these 
columns, near the high altar, are two pulpits, ex- 
quisitely wrought, which have the appearance of 
being made of massive gold, richly embossed. The 



CONVENT SAN-FRANCISCO. 229 

whole appearance is that of a light, well propor- 
tioned building. It presents a striking contrast to 
the generality of churches in this country, which 
are overloaded with incongruous ornament; as if 
the intention of the architect had been to bewilder 
the beholder, by presenting to his attention a con= 
fused mass of objects. 

The greatest objection to the interior of this build- 
ing is the misplaced choir. It is very clumsily made 
of a dark wood, interrupts the nave, and destroys 
the effect of the columns by being built against 
them. The front does not produce the effect which 
might be expected from a building of such magni- 
tude. This may be owing to the crowded orna- 
ments, and its being so much cut up into small com- 
partments and niches, by the pilasters and arches; as 
well as to the variety of minarets, placed upon the 
roof, which give to the building the appearance of 
an eastern temple. 

The Palace of Government occupies the oppo- 
site side of the square. It consists of a centre 
building, raised about half a story above the wings, 
which correspond in appearance. The balconies of 
the wings are furnished with Venetian blinds. In 
the centre is a fine, lofty, arched entrance. The 
Vice-president has apartments in this building. 
The offices of the different departments of govern- 
ment and the Vice-president's guard occupy the 
remainder. 

Tlie Convent of San-Francisco occupies two 
squares, or three hundred feet by six hundred, the 



S3G NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

second square, however, is separated from the first 
by a street, and is merely enclosed as a garden ; so 
that the space actually built upon is but three hun- 
dred feet square. The side of the church extends 
the whole length of the plaza bearing its name, and 
has two large arched doors, and many windows, 
square and circular, arranged without the smallest 
regard to symmetry. The front is very narrow, and 
is entirely taken up by an immense arched en- 
trance, reaching to the roof. On the left of the 
entrance is a stone tower, four stories high, having 
galleries with iron railings at the second and fourth 
stories ; the whole surmounted by a steeple. The 
buildings for the accommodation of the monks are 
arranged round two courts, the church forming one 
side of that in front. As these buildings have their 
doors and windows looking into the interior courts, 
the exterior presents nothing but a dead wall. The 
communication to the numerous apartments is by 
galleries. Each court is neatly paved, and has a 
fountain in the centre. The galleries are covered 
with portraits of priests, and some large and beau- 
tiful paintings by the old masters. 

The interior of the church is very much loaded 
with ornaments. The whole of the back part, sur- 
rounding the high altar, is covered with paintings 
in richly gilt frames ; the principal object presented 
to the eye being gold leaf. The sides are decorated 
with shrines, and are very much lumbered up with 
saints and images. The choir, in a gallery oppo- 
site the altar, contains a very good organ; this dis 



PRIVATE HOUSES. S8i 

tribution is much better than that of placing it in the 
nave, the great fault of the Cathedrals, both of Ca- 
racas and Bogota. 

The other churches, convents, and public build- 
ings are not worthy of particular description. 

A few of the private houses have glazed win- 
dows, and most of the tiled floors are covered with 
matting, made of a kind of grass, which grows on 
the borders of the Magdalena. The only fire-places 
in the city are in the bishop's palace, and in that of 
the government. A short time after one of these 
comfortable fixtures had been erected, the occupant 
of the house died. The good people attributed his 
death to the fire-place. This confirmed them in their 
attachment to the good old way, and no one has 
since had the hardihood to adopt the dangerous in- 
novation. 

At the head of many of the stairways, are to be 
found, drawings on the walls, of a gigantic pilgrim 
fording a river with an infant on his shoulders. 
This delineation is said to represent San-Cristoval, 
probably the patron saint of the city. The environs 
of the city are studded with quintas, or country 
seats, of the more wealthy inhabitants. 

Bolivar's quinta is situated in the gorge of the ra- 
vine formed by the mountain torrent, which descends 
between the atrial churches, Monteserrate and Gau- 
daloupe. The ground it occupies is of little extent, 
and very irregular. The pavilion is of one story, 
having piazzas on all its sides. The gardens are 
in miserable taste, being cut up into small parterres ; 



%2,% NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

the flowers are arranged in little beds formed ol 
bricks, in the letters of the President's name, and 
principal victories. The beautiful varieties of pinks 
are taught to utter the names, Boyaca, Carabobo, 
and Libertador — a ridiculous piece of flattery, 
which the President must cordially despise. The 
grounds are abundantly supplied by a rivulet, fall- 
ing in little cascades from one terrace to another, 
which, in its devious course, fills two or three ma- 
son work receptacles, embosomed in foliage, con- 
structed for the convenience of bathing. 

Through the interest of Dr. Grual, secretary of 
state, we procured excellent quarters in the hous& 
of Mr. Elbers, a German merchant, established at 
Santa-Martha, then on some business in the capital. 
At his sumptuously furnished table, we had an op- 
portunity of meeting the principal inhabitants of the 
city, the heads of the different departments, and 
other officers of government, both civil and military. 

Affairs in Quito, newly attached to the republic, 
as yet scarcely tranquillized, and the growing storm 
in Peru, induced the President to ask permission 
of congress to leave the territory of Colombia, that 
he might assist in the emancipation of a sister state, 
and by acting offensively against the most numerous 
and efficient Spanish army in America, more effec- 
tually secure the safety of the republic. 

His intended visit to the capital was indefinitely 
postponed. Congress made some ineffectual attempts 
at a meeting, but were unable to form a quorum in 
the senate, till after our departure on the fifth of April. 



CARNIVAL. 233 

During our stay in the capital, we received every 
mark of attention, kindness and respect. A day or 
two before the commencement of the quaresma, we 
were invited by Madam C * * * to visit her quinta, 
about two miles from the city. We called on her 
about 11 o'clock in the morning, and accompanied 
a large party on foot, to the scene of festivity. The 
party were full of gaiety, frolic and fun: the lord 
of misrule held uncontrolled sway. Scarcely had 
we reached the suburbs, before the pranks of the 
gentlemen began to show themselves. They were 
all provided with red and black paint, and phials 
of different coloured liquids, with which they, be- 
smeared and stained the ladies faces and clothes. 
We found the party at the quinta already engaged 
in dancing. On entering the room, the assembled 
guests with boisterous mirth inflicted their welcome, 
by smearing the faces of the new comers, till not a 
particle of the skin could be seen. Colonel T**, 
who arrived soon after, was immediately surrounded 
by ten or twelve ladies, and in one minute, his face, 
cravat, and waistcoat, displayed all the colours of 
the rainbow. As he stood in the midst of these 
painted squaws, he was not a bad representative of 
a Tuscarora. For a moment there was a struggle 
between his dignity and politeness; but recollecting 
the old adage, he suffered himself to be carried along 
by the whims of the day, and played his part in 
this grotesque farce with great good nature. Not 
so the secretary of war, who arrived shortly after, 
The chief justice, in attempting to smear his faee ? 

30 



^34 NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

was accidentally scratched by the secretary, in de- 
fending himself. As this did not occur before the 
ladies, but in the court-yard, whither they had re- 
treated, we feared some unpleasant consequences 
from their warmth. Their good sense and good 
nature, however, soon returned; but the minister 
kept his face and dignity unsoiled by a single blotch. 
Our next arrival was the fair Bernadina, she, as 
has been said of a distinguished French lady, is 
both une jolie femme et une belle femme. Her 
figure is finely rounded, and beautifully propor- 
tioned, her countenance languishing, and sprightly 
by turns. Although I had never seen her before, 
she addressed me in the most playful manner, with 
a request to uncork a Cologne bottle, filled with 
some red liquid ; which, I no sooner had the sim- 
plicity to accomplish, than she sprinkled me with 
its contents from head to foot, for my pains. She 
entered the room, in a ball dress. In a moment the 
roses and lilies of her beautiful face, and neck, 
(giving the usual latitude to the term,) gave place 
to red, blue, and green, laid on not very delicately 
by twenty brawny hands. I regretted this disfigu- 
ration exceedingly ; for not having had a hand in 
the affair, I was in no way indemnified for the 
loss my eyes sustained, by the metamorphosis. The 
belle was by no means idle during the ceremony of 
her introduction ; she dispensed the liquid from her 
Cologne bottle, without stint, and as she had been 
roguish enough to use some pungent mixture, the 
caballeros were obliged to scamper off, to save their 



CARNIVAL. 235 

eyes. At length, after many entreaties, por amor 
de DioSf she was allowed to prepare for the dance 
by confining her Chinese feet, in a lighter pair of 
slippers. In the evening the company were per- 
mitted to wash their hands and faces, and then sat 
down to dinner. The Vice-president came in at 
the desert, and joined in the dance after dinner — - 
about 9 o'clock we returned to town. I cannot say, 
I was much pleased with this Saturnalia, my re- 
spect for the amiable actresses was too great to al- 
low me to enjoy it. 

The ladies of Bogota are very assiduous in their 
attendance at mass. There are some, who, during 
the quaresma, shut themselves up in the convents, 
where they undergo very severe penance. Among 
the modes of mortification, hair-cloth and the lash 
are not unfrequently used. Whenever they appear 
abroad, it is in the church dress, consisting of a 
black petticoat, blue cloth mantilla, covering part 
of the face, the arms and bust, and a felt hat having 
a semi-spherical crown and broad brim. The ser- 
vants are only to be distinguished, by the coarser 
material of their garments, and in being without 
shoes. The Indian girls, who visit the city to at- 
tend the market, wear instead of a petticoat, a rec- 
tangular piece of cloth, simply strapped around the 
waist, and are mostly bare-headed. 

Among other civilities, we received invitations to 
dine with the English mess ; with Colonels Barron- 
Nuevo, and Paris, and several times at Colonel 
T**'s. At an entertainment by the latter gentle- 



S36 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

man., on the SSd of February, I was much pleased 
with the Bishop of Bogota, who was among the 
guests. On being asked for a toast, he gave a pa- 
triotic sentiment, and would not drink, till his glass 
had been placed between miniature flags of the 
United States and Colombia, with which the table 
was decorated. 

The dinner given by Colonels Barron-Nuevo 
and Paris, was very sumptuous and gay. A gen- 
tleman they called Perez was the soul of the party. 
After the champaign had circulated for some time, 
he required the guests to take their glasses in their 
hands, and place their elbows on the table. He 
then gave the President, and rang the changes on 
the subject he had chosen, in the happiest manner, 
applying to him fifty encomiastic epithets, touching 
his character or feats of arms, the company at each 
compliment taking a sip of wine. 

The gentleman, who had afforded us so much 
amusement, is at present engaged in endeavouring 
to drain the Lake Guatavita, situated to the north 
of Bogota, on the Zipaquira mountains, at an ab- 
solute elevation of 894<6 feet. This lake was used 
by the aborigines for purposes connected with the 
religious ceremonies of ablution. The remains of 
a stairway are still to be seen, by which the In- 
dians descended to the water. Near it is the drain, 
commenced shortly after the conquest, in order to 
recover the treasures, which were said to have been 
thrown into the lake, as soon as Quesada appeared 
on the plain of Bogota. 



LAKE GUATAVITA. S&7 

It is with the same view that the excavations are 
now carrying oil, A small golden image, said to 
have been found in this lake, was presented to Golo- 
nel T**, by a foreign gentleman residing in the 
capital. 

On the 15th of March, a party of gentlemen and 
ladies set out on horseback, to visit the famous falls 
of Tequendama. We left the city in the afternoon, 
and stopped for the night at a small village, at the 
house of the curate. We proceeded next morning 
on our way to the fall, which is about five leagues 
from Bogota. After descending by some bad roads, 
we were compelled to dismount and leave the 
horses with the servants. We now groped our way 
for half an hour through the dense foliage ; our in- 
experienced guide not being able to take us direct- 
ly to the spot. We passed several small shafts, 
which had been explored for coal. At length 
one of the gentlemen directed us by his voice to 
the place, our expectations raised to the highest 
pitch. 

The Salto de Tequendama does not yield to 
any known cascade, taking into consideration its 
height and the volume of water. It is characterised by 
Humboldt, as the most picturesque scene to be found 
in the Andes. The tradition of theJMuy seas, the abo- 
riginal natives who occupied this part of the country, 
relates, that their great legislator Bochica, came upon 
the earth, accompanied by his wife, Chia, for the pur- 
pose of instructing his people in agriculture and the 
useful arts ;■ but he was constantlv thwarted in his 



NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

benevolent designs by the mischievous disposi- 
tion of his wife. She caused the rivers to swell and 
overflow the valley of Bogota. In the deluge, all 
the inhabitants, except a few who succeeded in gain- 
ing the mountains, perished. Bochica, exasperated 
at his wife, drove her from the earth, when she be- 
came the moon. He then, with a stroke of his arm, 
opened a passage for the waters, and thus formed 
the fall of Tequendama, by which means the plain 
was drained. 

" This Indian fable unites a number of traits to be 
found scattered through the religious traditions of 
many of the people of the old continent. The per- 
sonification of the good and bad principles are re- 
cognised in Bochica and his wife, Chia. The re- 
mote period, when the moon did not exist, recalls 
the pretentious to antiquity of the Arcadians. The 
queen of the night is represented as a malignant be- 
ing, which increases the humidity of the earth; 
whilst Bochica, son of the sun, dries the soil, assists 
agriculture, and became the benefactor of the Muys- 
cas, as the first Inca was of the Peruvians.' 7 

". Travellers who have viewed the imposing situa- 
tion of the great cascade of Tequendama, are not 
surprised, that a rude people should have attribut- 
ed a miraculous origin to these rocks, which seem to 
have been fashioned by the hand of man ; to this 
narrow abyss, into which the river, uniting all the 
streams of the valley of Bogota, is precipitated ; to 
that iris, resplendent with the most beautiful co- 
lours, changing its form at each moment; to that 



TEQUENDAMA. 239 

column of vapour which ascends like a dense cloudy 
visible at the distance of fifteen niiles." — Hum- 
boldt, Vnes des Cordilleres. 

The perpendicular height of the fall, is five hun- 
dred and seventy-four feet, as determined by Hum- 
boldt, probably barometrically. I cannot convey an 
idea of the effect this sight had on me better than 
by the fact, that on my return, I expressed a sur- 
prise, that so considerable a body of water should 
fall from so great a height, without producing any 
noise ; when I was assured, there was a continued 
and deafening roar. This proves that the objects 
presented to the eye, so completely engrossed my 
mind, that I had no leisure to attend to the less 
lively impressions, made upon another sense. 

The volume of water may be estimated by sup- 
posing it to furnish a transverse section of about 
thirty feet square. The river Bogota or Funza, 
after meandering over the elevated plain of the city ? 
precipitates itself into one of those profound vallies, 
so common in this mountainous country. The chasm, 
which has the appearance of having been made by an 
earthquake, is bounded on each side by perpendicu- 
lar walls, six or seven hundred feet high, and about 
three hundred feet apart. These walls are prolong- 
ed in a straight line in the direction of the stream, 
about five hundred yards from the fall, presenting 
the appearance of having been worn from the ex- 
treme point to its present depth, by the action of 
the water. 

The stream, which a short distance above the 
fall, preserves a breadth of fifty yards, flows with 



&40 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

rapidity, and on arriving at the brink, falls in a 
sheet about forty feet across, upon a ledge of rocks, 
depressed about twenty feet, and eight or ten broad. 
This first pitch produces considerable foaming, the 
water, then, very much broken into particles, re- 
sembling a dense mist, or flakes of snow descend- 
ing with great velocity, is precipitated into the yawn- 
ing abyss. 

The surface presented to view, is by no means 
smooth or well defined, its irregularity being owing 
to small masses of water receiving an increased im- 
pulse, and jutting beyond the, main body. 

The narrow glen is occasionally so filled with 
vapour, as completely to conceal the rocks below. 
This adds to the effect, by removing any definite 
limit to the depth. The collection and dispersion 
of the mist, also gives variety to the scene. When 
cleared off by the current of air, which is upwards, 
the stream below is seen diminished by distance, 
to a small rivulet, winding its course between the 
projecting promontories, majestically rearing their 
heads, encircled by clouds of vapour, which render 
more luxuriant the enormous trees and verdant fo- 
liage, crowning their summits. 

We viewed the fall, only from the top, being as- 
sured that to arrive at the bottom, required a toil- 
some effort of several hours, by a circuitous route. 
No doubt the appearance from below would have 
been more imposing. The productions around us, 
were those of the temperate zone, but a glance of 
the eye, to the bottom of the abyss, revealed in all 
their luxuriance, those of the equinoctial regions. 



RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES, £41 

The rocks just above the falls, are at an elevation 
above the sea, of 8094 feet. The Funza, from this 
point, till it joins the Magdalena, descends more 
than 6890 feet, which gives an average of 153 feet 
a mile. From this it would appear, that the head 
of navigation of the Magdalena, is about 1804 feet 
above its mouth. Assuming 700 miles as the navi- 
gable length of the Magdalena, which is not far 
from the truth, its mean descent is found to be 
about one foot eight and a half inches in a mile. 

The quaresma and the rainy season, rendered 
the city rather dull. c The last week of the fast, 
however, was enlivened by religious and military 
processions. Sculptured figures as large as life, re- 
presenting the events of the history, and persecutions 
of our Saviour, were carried through the streets, on 
platforms, from one church to another, followed by 
the priests, civil and military officers, and principal 
inhabitants bearing wax candles. 

One day as I was standing in the crowd, at the 
door of a church, in expectation of seeing the fun- 
don, one of the chief officers of government, who 
was going to play his part in the ceremony, asked 
me what we plain republicans thought of those 
vanities. On my observing — you speak to the eyes, 
we to the ears; one method of conveying religious 
sentiments to the understanding, is to be preferred 
to another, according to circumstances. i( Yes," he 
replied, " but our ceremonies take up too much time, 
and are too expensive ; however, we must submit, 
we are not yet strong enough to do without all this." 

31 



S4$ NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

After accompanying the procession a short distance 
up the main street, a slight shower induced him to 
step out of the ranks, and take shelter in a friend'g 
house. When with him, a day or two after, he pro- 
duced the candle, which, he said, he had purloined 
from the priests. 

A few days before the commencement of these 
processions, the streets, through which they were 
to pass, were carefully cleaned, and the houses 
whitewashed. For this purpose, each of the sca- 
vengers, was provided with a sack, made of raw 
hide, about as large as a schoolboy's satchel. This 
was filled, by means of the hands, and carried on 
the shoulder, to one of the streams, which traverse 
the city; the dirty water trickling down the man's 
back, at every step. The person who should in- 
troduce a wheel-barrow, would deserve the freedom 
of the city. The implement for whitewashing, is 
simply a piece of rag, tied on the end of a stick ; 
the rag is dipped in the lime and flapped against 
the wall. This plan is worthy the attention of those 
who are so anxious to find out employment for the 
poor ; for, by means of it, with the utmost assiduity, 
one person cannot besmear more than a few square 
yards in a day ; whereas, by our lavish expenditure 
of employment, a month's labour, is swallowed up 
in a few hours. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

TOURNEY DEPARTURE PROM BOGOTA PACATATIVA VIL- 

LETA GUADUAS COLONEL ACOSTA HONDA. 

April Qth. After spending two months in the 
capital, we laicLin a provision of chocolate, rice, 
and some hams, and making a tent of check, to sleep 
in, on the borders of the Magdalena — we set out 
this morning, on our way, by the river Magdalena, 
to Carthagena. 

The Creole servant continued attached to our 
party, and our faithful sergeant was to accompany 
us as far as Honda, to carry back the mules. 

We travelled to-day., by % P. M. to Facatativa, 
six leagues. The road is excellent ; and is divided, 
every half league, by stones, upon which, besides 
the distance from the capital, the elevation above 
the sea is marked. The country is rich, well cul- 
tivated, and covered with large herds of cattle. Part 
of the road is paved with large stones. We crossed 
five or six good stone bridges, and passed two small 
villages. 

April Jih. Left Facatativa at 8, A. M. and arrived 
at Villeta, five leagues, at4§, P. M. ; passing over 
Mount Trigo. On the summit, we found stuck on 
the road side, innumerable crosses of every variety 
of proportion and size, made of limbs of trees, small 
twigs, or pieces of cane. These crosses are planted 
by the muleteers, and other devout passengers. 



\ 
241 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

most probably with a prayer for the safe passage 
of the mountain, or a thanksgiving at having passed 
it in safety. The descent is now exceedingly 
rapid, and the road intolerably bad — forded a small 
river four feet deep. 

We met on the road, first the wheels, and after- 
wards the body of a gig ; the former carried by four ■ 
men, with a relief of the same number, the latter by 
eight, with a relief, in all twenty-four men. The 
necessity of so many porters may convey some idea 
of the road. In many places, we observed that pas 
sages had been cut through the woods; the narrow 
sunken road, not being of sufficient width to allow 
the gig to pass. We afterwards understood that a 
wealthy merchant of Bogota had imported this vehi- 
cle, which was intended for Bolivar. 

At Villeta, I greeted my friends, the lizards, with 
great satisfaction, as they gave an earnest that we 
were entering a warm climate. At Bogota I had 
never felt comfortably warm, except when taking 
exercise ; and as there are no fires, I have fre 
quently gone to bed to get rid of the disagreeable 
chilliness. We now, also, found some of the tro 
pical plants. At this place I first saw a case of the 
leprosy, that most disgusting of all disorders. The 
doors of the house at which we stopped were finely 
wrought in pannel work, the material a beautiful 
hard wood ; although the house itself was built of 
canes, the interstices being filled with mud and 
chopped straw, and plastered with lime. The 
walls were decorated with prints of the prodigal 



VILLETA. 245 

son. The most common material, however, for doors 
in houses of this description, is a frame of wood co- 
vered with an undressed hide. 
1 April 8th. Left Villeta at 9, A. M. arrived at 
Guaduas — four leagues, at 1, P. M. Parts of the 
road very steep — enjoyed some fine views. 

We presented letters from our friends in Bogota 
to Colonel Acosta, who entertained us very hospi- 
tably. This gentleman is the Juez-politico of the 
village of Guaduas, and proprietor of thirty leagues 
square of mountainous, but fruitful land. He is a 
well informed, agreeable man, of patriarchal sim- 
plicity of manners. In one end of his large house, 
he keeps a store, containing some foreign fabrics, 
and the little manufactures of his tenants ; princi- 
pally consisting of straw hats, which are manufac- 
tured in almost every house of the village, sandals, 
baskets, and wooden vessels. He attends to this 
little shop himself. While sitting with him here, I 
had an opportunity of witnessing the kind interest 
he took, as a magistrate and landlord, in the affairs 
of his clients and tenants ; as well as their respect- 
ful, yet confiding bearing in his presence. These 
tenants pay from six to eight, aud ten dollars per 
anuum, for as much land as they choose to cultivate. 
We saw some of them, who came to barter with 
their patron, dispose of their manufactures, obtain 
a small loan, ask alms or advice. They were all 
kindly received, listened to with patience, and dis- 
missed contented. 

April 9th. We were well pleased to be detained 



£46 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

to-day, for want of baggage-mules, enjoying in a 
delightful climate, the agreeable society of our kind 
host, and that of his next door neighbour, the Curate, 
in the midst of a smiling, industrious, contented 
population. The Curate paid the United States 
many compliments, spoke of Washington, Franklin, 
and Jefferson, and drew a parallel between our in- 
stitutions and those of Colombia. He extolled our 
schools, industry, and manufactures, the facilities 
of communication by means of steam- boats and 
coaches, the thriving state of agriculture, and the 
lightness of the taxes. Colonel Acosta would con- 
template these glowing pictures with a feeling of 
incredulity and delight, mingled with the regrets of 
a patriot, at not seeing the same advantages enjoy- 
ed by his own countrymen. The transition to the 
causes of the inferiority, and the cruel, mistaken 
policy of the mother country, was natural. After 
commenting on these with bitterness, his mortifica- 
tion and chagrin gave way, before the cheering an- 
ticipations of the future. 

Colonel Acosta exchanged my saddle, of the 
European form, for one of the country, having a 
high cantle and pommel, which was so formed as 
to afford a very convenient writing desk, the stir- 
rups being in the shape of a shoe, and made of 
brass ; as also my bridle for one, the bit of which 
weighed several pounds. 

The absolute height of Gruaduas is 3772 feet — 
its mean temperature 67.5°, Fahr., ten degrees 
higher than that of Bogota. The descent from the 



GUADUAS. 247 

capital to Guaduas is 4949 feet. The distance be- 
ing forty- five miles, the average declivity is one 
hundred and ten feet a mile. This, however, gives 
no idea of the abruptness of the road, which passes 
over the mountains Sargento and Trigo. 

April 10th. Took leave of our amiable friend 
Colonel Acosta, at 8, A. M. and arrived at Honda 
— seven leagues, at 3, P. M. The road to-day, 
descending rapidly the whole way, was very muddy, 
full of rocks, and in some places dangerous. We 
were obliged to dismount once or twice. 

The distance from Bogota to Honda, the head of 
navigation of theMagdalena, is twenty-two leagues, 
which occupied us four days. It is over these roads, 
of which it is impossible to convey a correct idea, 
that merchandise intended for the capital must pass, 
after having been brought up the Magdalena in 
large canoes of ten or twelve tons' burthen, called 
champans, by a tedious and extremely laborious 
navigation, against the stream, of ninety days. It 
is gratifying to anticipate what a change may, and 
probably will be effected in a few years, by the con- 
struction of a good road, and the introduction of 
Fulton's immortal invention. One steam-boat, with 
incredibly less manual labour, and fewer hands 
than are now required to tow and paddle up one 
champan, would, in twelve days, furnish the capital 
with a greater quantity of goods, than it receives 
by the present conveyances in a whole year. Yet, 
speak to the generality of people on this subject, 
they reply with a feeling of pride, that their ri- 



g4i8 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

ver is too rapid for steam navigation ; the good old 
way, by means of champans, is best—and cite, with 
complacency, an ineffectual attempt, (which con- 
firms their opinion,) made by one of our steam 
ferry-boats, of little power, which was unable to 
stem the current, although it does not average three 
miles an hour.* 

We crossed the Magdalena, which is here about 
one hundred yards wide, in a small canoe, with 
feelings of apprehension and disgust, on finding, as 
we were about to step in, that it was crowded with 
lepers. 

We presented our letters from Colonel Acosta, 
to Seiior Diego, a merchant of Honda, who con- 
ducted us to a large vacant house, in which we were 
to reside, until he could provide us a passage. He 
sent a table, and some chairs, a vase to contain wa- 
ter, and a woman to cook. We purchased kitchen 
utensils of earthenware, and provisions. In half an 
hour, our menage was complete, and we suspended 
ourselves, in patient expectation of the departure of 
the first champan. This did not take place till the 
17th ; so that we continued tenants of our large, 
dilapidated mansion, seven days. The sergeant was 
sent back with our mules, with assurances of our 
safe arrival, and comfortable situation. 

Our good landlord Diego paid us a visit every 

* The river Meta, which empties into the Orinoco, (the 
Ohio and Mississippi of South America,) is navigable to with- 
in forty -five miles of the capital. These noble streams present 
another fine theatre for navigation by steam-boats. 



HONDA. £49 

morning, to give us the news, and inquire our wants. 
He procured our rice, chocolate, and bread, for the 
voyage. One day, he brought the appaling intelli- 
gence, that our evil genius, Morales, was in pos- 
session of the river, above Mompos, and wished to 
know whether we would defer our voyage; but we 
gave him to understand, that our wish was to em- 
bark on board the first champan, whether Monsieur 
Tonson had possession of the river or not. 

Honda, situated in 5° 16' north latitude, and 4° 
19' 15" east longitude from Washington, is a very 
ancient town, built immediately on the shore of the 
Magdalena ; the houses are mostly of stone, those 
on the water's edge being very high and battle- 
mented, presenting the appearance, on this side, of 
a fortification. Two creeks empty into the river ; 
one of very clear water, excellent for bathing, above, 
the other deep and rapid, below the town. Over 
the latter, there had formerly been an excellent 
stone bridge ; but the centre pier was thrown down, 
carrying with it part of the arches, about thirty 
years ago, by an earthquake, which destroyed 
many of the houses. The breach is filled up by a 

wooden structure, which inclines to one side, and 

* 
seems very insecure. 

We found the climate of Honda oppressively hot; 

though this may have been owing to the sudden 

transition from the colder one of Bogota. Half the 

inhabitants of the town are afflicted with the leprosy, 

and many with the goitre. The body of the negro 

boatman, who ferried us over the Magdalena, was 

33 



S50 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

half white, the effect of the leprosy ; yet he plied 
his paddle with vigour, and seemed robust. The 
usual appearance presented by those who suffer 
under this disorder, is that of livid and white 
blotches on the elbows, knuckles, and other ex- 
posed parts of the body. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

NAVIGATION OF THE JVIAGDALENA. 

•April 17th. We sent our baggage, tent, with its 
poles and pins, sa'ddles, provisions, and cooking 
utensils, down to the landing this morning; and 
after taking leave of the attentive old Diego, who 
refused any compensation for his house, or the 
trouble he had been at, rode a mile and a half to 
our champan, which had received its cargo, and 
was ready to push off. 

These canoes, somewhat resembling a Durham- 
boat, very strongly built of several large pieces of 
timber, are forty or fifty feet long, six or eight feet 
wide, and from ten to twelve tons burthen. The 
centre part, containing the cargo, is covered with 
poles bent in a semicircular form, reaching from one 
gunwale to the other, thatched, and made imper- 
vious to the weather, with palm leaves. A space 
at each end, of about five or six feet, under this 
shelter, is left unoccupied by the cargo, for the ac- 
commodation of passengers. 

In this little nook, with packages of tobacco en- 
veloped in raw hides, for our floor and beds, cover- 
ed with a canopy of palm leaves, decorated with 
festoons of dried beef and fish, and bouquets of gar- 
lic, we nestled ourselves, to commence the tedious 
navigation of the Masdalena. 



£52 NOTES ON COLOMBIA* 

The crew, consisting of a patron and nine hands* 
ourselves and servant, with two other passengers,, 
made the number of persons ou board amount to 
fifteen. The stern was furnished with a place for 
cooking, made of bricks. On the top of the cham- 
pan we tied our hen-coop ; and clusters of plantains 
intended for the crew, lined the whole side. 

We pushed off at 11 f, A. M. eight of the boat 
men paddling furiously, chanting in chorus, and 
keeping the time, by striking the side of the 
champan with their paddles. At 12, passed a 
beautiful sugar-loaf mountain, directly in the course 
of the river, apparently blocking the passage — * 
1S|, banks of moderate height, basaltic looking 
walls. At 1|, passed the first house, a neat cot- 
tage, surrounded by plantains ; opposite, a conical 
hill — river, one hundred and fifty yards wide — 
no appearance of cultivation. A ridge of moun 
tains, running at right angles to the river, terminates 
at the shore. 

At If, a small rapid river, emptying into the 
Magdalen a, drove the champan with violence to- 
wards a bluff, opposite. It required the utmost ex- 
ertions of the eight paddles to prevent our going 
ashore. In this conflict, the side of the canoe was 
turned to the current, and the stern driven foremost, 
down the stream. After passing the rapid, the cham- 
pan was* easily turned to its proper position. 

At %, P. M. landed at a house owned by some 
fishermen ; found the people employed in curing 
and drying a spotted fish, resembling our catfish. 



MAGDALENA. £53 

and four or five feet long. Slung our hammocks 
under some trees, ou the bank of the river, and en- 
joyed a fine breeze ; procured some fine pine-apples, 
guavas, and cocoa-nuts ; dined, and got on board at 
4|. At 5, passed a small island ; came in sight of 
another ridge of mountains terminating at the river ; 
both shores covered with wood ; no cultivation. At 
5.10, a sand bank — high rocky clifts turn the river 
to the west, nearly at right angles. Fine prospect 
opened — country of little elevation, bounded by 
mountains in the distance — at 5|, another sand bank 
— saw the first cayman, lying like a log, in the sun. 
Shortly after, saw a large collection on the borders 
of a small creek ; on approaching, they plunged, one 
after the other, under the water. 

Although these mammoth reptiles are called gene- 
rally through the country, caymans or alligators, the 
kind found in this river, as also in the Orinoco and 
its tributaries, is the true crocodile, similar to that 
of the Nile. One found by M. Bonpland, on the 
shores of the Apure, measured twenty-four feet in 
length. Those of the Magdalena, which we saw, 
were from two feet, to twelve or fifteen. They re- 
semble a huge lizard. 

Took our station on the top of the champan, 
to see these monsters, and enjoy the scenery. At 
6, passed a fine cleared spot, about a mile square ; 
lofty forests enclose it on the sides, and rear ; in 
front, a wall about ten feet high, rises with a small 
slope from the river, presenting the appearance of 
and immense quay. This is a beautiful situation 



&54» NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

for a farm. At 6|, a small island — high mountains 
on the right bank, clear of wood. Gathered some 
beans from trees overhanging the water, which were 
about fourteen inches long, containing twenty-two 
black seeds, covered with a cotton-like substance, 
saturated with a sweet juice. Met the mail-boat, a 
very small canoe, propelled by two men with pad- 
dles, a third, steering. At 7|> stopped for the night, 
at a hut, on the right bank, after having navigated 
but six hours. 

JLipril 18th. After a night made uncomfortable by 
heat and moschetos, we embarked at 6|, in a dense 
fog; passed an island about half a mile long; one 
channel being filled with huge trees — 71? a wooded 
island, half a mile long; river sometimes swells to 
a mile in width. At 8|, the small village Guarumo, 
of fifteen or twenty huts, built in a grove of cocoa-palm 
trees, on the right bank, opposite an island, two 
miles long ; at its lower extremity, a small island. 
At a quarter before nine, stopped at some houses 
on the left bank. After breakfasting, started at 10f, 
at 13J, a beautiful circular island, crowned with a 
tuft of trees. The shores of the river, about eight 
feet high, covered with a strong growth of timber. 
At 12.20, a small river, one hundred yards wide, 
on the right bank — water clear and black, forming 
a contrast with that of the Magdalena, which is 
very muddy — 12|, passed Buenavista, a small, 
thatched village, of twelve houses and a church, in 
a clear spot, of about eight acres, on the left bank. 
Ou the right, an island, one mile and a half long— 



MAGDALENA. 255 

at its lower extremity, on the left bank, the river 
Amie flows into the Magdalena, by two mouths— 
the shores, about eight feet high. Just below the 
Amie, an island, one mile long. At 1, an island in 
the centre, half a mile long ; at its lower end, on the 
right bank, a fine navigable creek. The river one 
mile wide ; snags and sawyers, and much floating 
wood ; one or more alligators constantly in sight. At 
1|, the river narrows suddenly to half a mile — the 
water of a dark colour, resembling coffee grounds ; 
current very rapid ; an island on the left bank, half 
a mile long ; If, a low, sandy island, one-fourth of 
a mile long. At 1.40, passed the Rio Claro, a fine 
creek, the mouth nearly obscured by the luxuriant 
growth ; it contributes much water to the Magda- 
lena; 1.50, two islands — that on the left bank, cover- 
ed with fine timber. The centre channel through 
which we passed, is but two hundred yards wide. 
At S|, came to a fine large island, a mile broad 
■ — 3, another, one mile and a half long — 3§, a low 
sandy island, half a mile. Remarkable fine echo ; 
the first repeat is soon heard, the second, after a 
long interval, and much more distinct than the first 
— 3.40, a small island, one hundred yards long, on 
the left bank — country low, and well wooded — at a 
considerable distance ahead, two ridges of moun- 
tains. At 4.50, passed the river Cocorna, on the 
left bank, about fifty yards wide, its mouth filled 
with sunken trees — an island and sand bar, oppo- 
site. A very long island terminates here. Find- 
ing our kennel below growing intolerable, on 



256 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

account of the heat, and the villanous compounds, 
exhaled in every variety of combination, by the 
agency of a vertical sun ; we converted our tent into 
an awning, and contrived to stretch it on the top of 
the champan. Having now a shelter from the di- 
rect rays of the sun, we had a fine opportunity, from 
an elevated situation, of admiring the scenery, with 
the advantage of a free circulation of air. 

At 5£, an island on the left bank, one mile long. 
Hear a loud and disagreeable roar, not unlike that 
of the lion, said to be produced by a species of 
red monkeys. The extraordinary powers of voice 
of these animals, are attributed by the Baron Cu- 
vier, to a large guttural cavity, with which they 
are provided. 

At 5^, the river swells to a great width; the islands 
are so numerous that it is impossible to particularize 
them. At 7? stopped for the night, at the village 
San-Jose de Nare. 

Nare is built immediately on the river; it con- 
tains, according to the statement of the governor, 
about three hundred souls. The houses are built 
of canes and thatched. We remained for the night 
at the governor's house, a one- story building with 
a clay floor. We found his excellency feeding his 
mules at the door. The importance which he seem- 
ed to attach to the examination of our passport, and 
the preparations he made for endorsing it, gave me 
much amusement. From his sapient look, one 
would have supposed, that he was about to sign a 
treaty, or that the weight of the department of the 



MAGDALENA. S57 

interior rested upon his wrinkled brow; but his 
manner of performing this official act, beggars de- 
scription. He commenced by writing Nare at the 
bottom of the sheet, then turning over continued, 
Abi 19 de 1823 
Pase 

el Com te Granada 
adding a flourish, which, if it were possible to have 
it engraved, would assuredly gain the prize offered 
by the bank of England. 

Most of the inhabitants are blacks or casts ; the 
Alcalde being a man of colour. His costume, when 
I saw him settling a dispute between two women 
in the street, consisted of a pair of sandals, trowsers-, 
and shirt, with a red sash tied around his waist, 
the baton of office in his hand. The boys, previously 
to entering the schoolhouse, knelt down at the door, 
to repeat their prayers to the master. These urchins 
were of all colours, but were uniformly dressed in 
pantaloons, with a Madras handkerchief tied over 
the shoulders, like a shawl, in place of a shirt. 

There is a low island opposite Nare — the river 
upwards of a mile wide. 

April l$th. At noon pushed off, after idling 
away the pleasantest part of the day. The whole 
village flocked to the bank, and with loud voices 
and much gesticulation, took leave of the crew, who 
chanted the boatman's song with increased vigour. 
The patron and pilot exchanged farewells with 
those on shore, making use of all the smart and 
witty sayings they were masters of. A dios co- 
rn 



S58 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

madre, a dios compadre, a dios hombre, with a plen- 
tiful interlarding of oaths, were bandied backward 
and forward, till we had got out of hearing. Just 
below the town, the river Nare flows into the Mag- 
dalena; it is about one hundred yards wide. 

The immense size of the plantains, which lined 
the top of the champan, attracted my attention. The 
clusters are purchased along the shores of the upper 
]V:agdalena for a medio real, (six and a quarter 
cents.) *The ordinary sized bunches had thirty-four 
plantains on them ; biit upon the largest there were 
forty- two. Each plantain was from ten to twelve 
inches long, and from six to eight in circumference. 
A man may subsist upon two a day; so that, at the 
above rate, existence could be supported in this 
country, at a daily expense of about three mills. 
Few, however, if any, are reduced to so low a diet. 
The plantain is the substitute for bread, it may be 
eaten either raw or boiled, or fried in lard ; with 
chocolate it forms an excellent meal. 

A vegetable called yuca is also extremely cheap 
and nutritive; fifty pounds cost but six and a fourth 
cents. It is excellent in soup. 

At 1S|, passed a strait called La Angostura, 
about four hundred yards wide; current very rapid, 
the banks high. At 4.30, stopped at San-Francisco 
de Guarapata, a negro village of twelve huts. The 
whole space of ground cleared for the use of the 
village, does not exceed four acres ; immediately 
beyond this is the unreclaimed wilderness. This 
applies to all the towns and villages on the Mag- 



MAGDALENA. 359 

dalena, and to most of those in Colombia, in a 
somewhat less degree. A few steps take you from 
a close- built town and dense population to impene- 
trable forests. 

Left Gruarapata at 4*| ; at 6, stopped for the night 
on a sand bar, which did not afford dry landing — 
slept on board the champan, and were much annoy- 
ed by the heat and clouds of moschetos. 

During the day, we passed eight islands more 
than a mile, and twelve less than half a mile long, 
only two houses besides the town, and five champans 
ascending the river — the banks low, subject to in- 
undations, and covered with wood. 

April 20th. Pushed off at 5f, A. M.— at 7 J, 
passed San-Bartoleme, a village of ten or twelve 
huts: just below, on the left bank, the river Regla 
empties its waters. At 7h tue river, more than a 
mile broad, is divided into two channels, by a large 
island ; we took that on the left bank, about two hun- 
dred yards wide. At 9, stopped at a house to break- 
fast; found here large tortoise-shells; from their 
number, it would appear that these animals consti- 
tute a principal article of food. Near the house is 
a small patch of cacao and plantains, separated by 
no enclosure from the tangled thicket, which sur- 
rounds it. Eight or ten dogs, all wounded in se- 
veral places, are the guardians of this solitary hut; 
their numerous scars showed they had been often 
and desperately engaged with the animals of the 
forest. Left our breakfast house at 10 §. At 1.40 
passed the river Garare on the right bank-— at 0, 



&60 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

the Opone, a very small river, on the same side— 
a range of mountains in the distance. 

The whole of this day extremely hot. Met the 
mail boat for Bogota. A large conical straw hat 
completed the costume of the men employed in 
paddling this canoe. The exposure of the naked 
body to a vertical sun, to swarms of insects, and 
the exhalations of unbounded marshes, choked with 
the rankest vegetation ; and, under these circum- 
stances, to undergo for twenty-four, or thirty-six 
hours, the excessive bodily exertion of propelling 
a boat against a rapid current, shows, in a very 
striking point of view, the happy constitution of 
man, which thus adapts itself to, or fortifies itself 
against impressions, that otherwise would inevita- 
bly prove fatal. 

We passed to-day, eighteen large, and forty-four 
small islands, only two houses, and not a single 
champan; the country but little elevated, and co- 
vertd with wood. At6|, stopped on a small sandy 
island for the night, and went to sleep under our 
tent on the roof of the canoe. 

April 21st. Were startled from our sleep by vivid 
lightning, and before the tent could be struck, and the 
mats and bedclothes carried below, we were com- 
pletely drenched with rain. At 5|, A. M. set off 
in the rain— at 9, a small river on the right bank— 
i.S|, a small river on the left, called Simitar. 

The whole of this morning, we heard the disa- 
greeable howling of the large monkeys. Saw 
numerous Hocks of chattering paroquitos, or small 



MAGDALEN A. 26 £ 

parrots, some penguins, and another aquatic bird, 
resembling a crane. At l&f , arrived at San-Pablo, 
a village of forty rude huts ; within twenty yards 
of the skirts of the village, the forest remains as 
nature formed it — not the least sign of cultivation. 
The inhabitants live principally on a kind of large 
catfish, like that found in the Mississippi. 

Left San-Pablo at 4|, the weather clear. At 6, 
stopped for the night at a sand-bar, elevated but a 
few inches above the level of the water. Imme- 
diately on landing, fires were kindled for cooking, 
and the tents were pitched upon the sand. We 
found two huts made of boughs, which were occu- 
pied by fishermen, who make a temporary resi- 
dence of the bar, during the fishing season. 

The beauty of the hard sand, the diminutive size 
and little elevation of the bar, the fires, huts, and 
tents, the groups of half naked Indians, the clear 
moon-light, and delightful serenity of the air, con- 
spired to render the scene, as we enjoyed it from 
the roof of the champan, under our green mos- 
cheto nets, extremely striking and agreeable. I 
was much pleased at witnessing the harmony and 
affection subsisting among the crew, and their good 
humoured playfulness. Our little society must now 
have amounted to more than twenty, Indians, Ne- 
groes, and Zambos. The latter are a fine race of 
men ; they are not so robust as the Indians, but 
have more activity, both of mind and body. 

In order to test their strength and agility, I in- 
duced them to jump, by setting the example; but 



2b% NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

they did not excel at this exercise, most probably 
for want of practice. My bath in the evening was 
rendered uncomfortable, owing to the extreme tur- 
bidness of the water, and a fear of the caymans, 
which are seen constantly on the shores of the river, 
the islands, and sand-bars. We met to-day, three 
champans, passed four isolated houses, and eight 
larger and twenty-five smaller islands. The banks 
still low, subject to inundation, and covered with 
wood. 

April 22d. Slept well last night in the open 
air, but awoke this morning with a most distress- 
ing pain on the crown of the head, which continued 
almost all day. This I attributed to the intense 
heat of the sun upon my head, but imperfectly 
shielded, by an unlined straw hat ; and the partial 
bath, I had taken the preceding evening, without 
wetting my head, owing to my apprehension of the 
caymans. 

Embarked at 5|, A. M., cloudy and cool. Shortly 
after, were hailed by a man from the shore, who 
inquired, whether we were taking tobacco to Mo- 
rales. A little below, saw the Colombian flag dis- 
played, which we scarcely knew whether to con- 
sider a good or a bad omen. At lOf, the river ex- 
pands to about three miles in breadth, innumerable 
small wooded islands are sprinkled over its surface, 
in every direction, rendering the navigation difficult 
to the most experienced pilot — a stranger would in- 
evitably be lost in this labyrinth of different chan- 
nels. At 13f stopped at Barillo, a village of thirty 



MAGDALENA. 268 

cane huts, on the right bank — the inhabitants, In- 
dians, Negroes, and Zambos. At If, pushed off after 
taking in wood and water. At 6, the small river 
Nebreja, on the right bank — 7> stopped to cook on 
a sandy island, infested by moschetos. At 8|, em- 
barked, and proceeded all night. Our patron was 
stimulated to this exertion, by the fear that Morales 
might have some small parties holding possession 
of the river, and in the hope of eluding their vigi- 
lance, by this nocturnal movement. This arrange- 
ment was extremely agreeably to us, as the incon- 
venience of our confined situation, and the heat of 
the sun, directly in our zenith at noon, had be- 
come insufferable. 

To-day we met twochampans, and passed ten de- 
tached houses. The islands were so numerous, that 
it was impossible to count them. The banks still 
low and wooded — mountains in the distance. 

April 23d. At 3, A. M. we were driven from 
the tent, on the top of the champan, by the rain. 
At 1.4*5, passed Hamione, a small village on the 
left bank — about two miles lower down, a larger 
one called Blanco. This village is somewhat ele- 
vated, as well as the country below it, affording for 
the first time, a view of the land near the river. At 
2, passed the river Lobo, on the left bank. This 
evening, after a most gorgeous sunset, we were gra- 
tified by the singing of a bird, at regular intervals, 
of perhaps a minute ; but what was our surprise, on 
recognising in its song, the first seven notes of the 
well-known air of the " Rose tree." The tone was 



264 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

that of the high notes of the flute, and might under 
other circumstances have been mistaken for that in- 
strument. We drifted down stream all night. 

April 2&th. After a rainy night, we came in sight 
of Mompos early in the morning, and were boarded 
by a large canoe, mounting two or three swivels — 
exhibited our passports, and were allowed to pro- 
ceed. A few minutes after, a small canoe, laden 
with fish, fruits, and dulces, having some women 
on board, came along side, to traffic their provisions 
for tobacco. After their small commercial exchanges 
were effected, one of another kind succeeded, con- 
sisting of boatmen's wit and good humoured railery, 
which continued till we were out of hearing. 

Mompos, in 9° 19' north latitude, and 2° 44' 30" 
east longitude from Washington, dignified withTthe 
name of city, is built on the left bank, immediately 
on the river. The wall which runs along the front 
street, is built in the water, of excellent masonry, 
about twelve feet high; its top handsomely finished 
off with a coping of hewn stone. From the river, 
this wall has the appearance of a battery. It extends 
along nearly the whole front of the town, about 
half a mile, forming a delightful walk. The houses 
are well built, tastefully painted, and have a very 
clean and comfortable appearance. One of the 
churches fronts the river, having its little square 
extending to the water wall. 

When the river is full, the front street is covered 
with about two feet of water. The present height 
of the street above the river is about ten feet 5 there 



MAGDALENA. 265 

are convenient stone steps leading to its surface., 
These steps are continually crowded by girls, each 
having an earthen vase on her head, shoulder, or 
hip, to procure water for domestic uses. These 
groups have often reminded me of some scriptural 
pieces, representing a similar scene. It seems as 
if the ancient dress, and the very shape of the vase ? 
had been retained. It would appear strange for an 
antiquary to seek for models of antiquity in this 
new country ; yet so little change has taken place 
since its first settlement, that many articles and 
customs introduced from Spain three hundred years 
ago, have not undergone the slightest modification. 
The houses in particular are evidently of Moorish 
construction. 

The depth of the town is about two hundred and 
fifty yards. The houses would bear a favourable 
comparison with those of Caracas. Many are fur- 
nished with green Venetian blinds, which afford a 
pleasing contrast to the white walls. The gardens 
are planted with fine tall palms, and beautiful plan- 
tains. I was informed the place contained twelve 
or fourteen churches, a number quite dispropor- 
tioned to its size. Immediately adjoining the 
enclosures of the rear houses, of this compactly 
built town, you find a thicket in precisely the same 
state, as when the first settler established himself. 

Remained at Mompos the 25th. A house on the 
levee was offered to us; but not liking it, we ac- 
cepted that assigned us by the Alcalde. Presented 
our letters to the administrator of the customs; and 

34) 



g66 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

received every politeness from him, with offers of 
service. 

April 26th, On embarking to-day at noon, found 
we had left our fellow passengers, and taken on 
board a lady and her son, who were going to 
Oarthagena. We recognised in our new passenger, 
the person who had made an offer of the house, 
She- accepted a seat under our tent, or awning, on 
the top of the champan, and beguiled the time by 
her talent for conversation. She made inquiries 
after persons we had known, and recently seen in 
Bogota, and related many anecdotes of them, and 
the parts they had taken in the revolution, After 
the frost of ceremony had melted away, she men- 
tioned with great good humour, that our Creole 
servant, to whom she had addressed herself, on 
our landing, had endeavoured to pass himself upon 
her as a North American, and persisted in answer- 
ing " yes," and " I don't understand," to all her 
inquiries. 

This lady had been married just before the revo- 
lution, at the age of thirteen, through the influence 
and authority of her parents, and much against her 
own inclination; as she was unwilling to leave 
school, and surrender her baby-house, dolls, and 
childish plays, for the dignified demeanour, and the 
duties of a wife. She explained the precipitation 
of her parents by saying, that it was considered an 
honour to form an alliance with a native of old 
Spain; and that to avoid the chance of her electing 
an American for a husband, which would have dis- 



MAGDALENA. S67 

graced the family, one was provided for her before 
she had any idea of making a selection for herself. 
She prided herself, that her husband was a good 
American at heart, though born in Spain. 

On learning we were North Americans, she said 
she had assisted at a celebration of our national 
festival on board a small steam-boat, owned by an 
American. She represented the entertainment as 
having been very agreeable, and did not conceal 
that most of the gentlemen, and some of the ladies, 
herself among the number, had done such complete 
honour to the day, that they were obliged to remain 
all night on board the boat. 

At 13f, passed a small village — 3|, stopped to 
cook — 5| the small village San-Fernando, some- 
what retired from the river, on the right bank. 
At 7? Santa- Ana, a small village on the same bank. 

The country below Mompos continues low and 
flat, and being clear of wood, wears the appearance 
of cultivation. This, however, is not the case, 
except in a few small patches, covered with plan- 
tains. The banks on both sides, present the most 
enchanting sites for houses and farms. A short 
time after steam-boats shall have been established 
on this majestic river, these waste lands will be 
covered with plantains, coffee, rice, cotton, cacao, 
indigo, tobacco, and maize ; the tiresome uniformity 
of the shores will be relieved by handsome villas, 
and the busy hum of civilization succeed to the dis- 
agreeable howling of the wild monkey. 

la the evening, saw innumerable, brilliant jack- 



&6S NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

o-lanthorns moving in every direction. We con- 
tinned our downward course all night, being carried 
by the current. Although it was cool when we 
retired to rest, it became so oppressively hot during 
the night, that it was impossible to sleep. 

Jlpril 27th. Was startled out of my sleep this 
morning, by the sting of some animal ; on taking off 
my jacket to discover the assailant, I received an- 
other puncture in the arm. I found it to be a scor- 
pion, about four inches long. The two minute 
punctures were scarcely discernible; but around 
each, the inflammation extended so rapidly, that its 
progress could be distinctly marked. Before I 
could procure a lime, the juice of which is consider- 
ed the best remedy, the discoloration had extended 
over the whole arm. As I had associated the idea 
of horror with the sting of these reptiles, I was a 
good deal alarmed ; but I soon found that scorpions 
were only terrible in poetry. The inconvenience 
was very inconsiderable. 

At 8|, passed San-Brano, a small thatched village 
built on a bluff point, on the left bank. At 9|, a 
handsome village called Plata, on the same side. — > 
At IS. 10, passed Teneriffe, a town partly in ruins, 
on the right bank — 3|, a village of seventeen huts, 
on left bank— 5|, a village of eight huts, on the 
right. 

The country to-day low ; trees along the bank, 
but no forests ; detached houses more numerous. 
The Sierra de Santa-Marta covered with snow in 
the distance. The breadth of the river, since leaving 



MAGDALENA. 269 

Mompos, does not vary much from a mile — islands 
less numerous. 

At 9|, P. M. arrived at Barancas, the termina- 
tion of our tedious and uncomfortable navigation. 
This was the eleventh day from our leaving Honda, 
the head of navigation, and the twenty-second from 
Bogota. But as we had been detained one day in 
Guaduas, six in Honda, one in Mompos, and had 
taken four days in the journey from Bogota to 
Honda, which can be conveniently performed in 
three ; it results, that the whole route from the capi- 
tal to Barancas, may easily be made in thirteen 
days. The distance from the latter place by land 
to Carthagena is twenty-three leagues, which re- 
quires two days more, in all fifteen days. Allowing 
the same length of time for the navigation to the 
United States from Carthagena, we should receive 
advices from the capital of Colombia, even by the 
present tardy modes of communication, in thirty 
days. 

But, when the road to Honda shall have beeu 
improved, that distance may be accomplished in 
one day. Steam-boats will reach Barancas in four 
days ; and on the sixth, the traveller may arrive at 
Carthagena. A steam navigation of ten days to the 
United States, will bring us advices from Bogota 
in sixteen days. 

We landed from our champan at Barancas about 
10 o'clock, on a fine moonlight night — the tempe- 
rature of the air delightful. We were detained some 
considerable time in the plaza, sitting upon our bag 



%fO NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

gage, and surrounded by the crew, who had brought 
pur effects from the boat, waiting for the arrival of 
the Alcalde. A house had been assigned us, but it 
was unoccupied, and the key could not be found. 
At length, the Alcalde's appearance put us in pos- 
session of our lodging. In a few minutes our ham- 
mocks, (a luxury we had not enjoyed for some time,) 
were suspended from the rafters. The Alcalde pro- 
mised to provide mules or horses at sunrise, which, 
with these gentlemen, is equivalent to about 10 
o'clock; and, after a delightful bath, I retired to 
my hammock with a better prospect of enjoying a 
comfortable sleep than had been afforded me for a 
fortnight. 



CHAPTER XV, 

.TOURNEY TO CARTHAGENA — LEAVE BARANCAS — AMATIS— = 
TURBACO ITINERARY ARRIVAL CARTHAGENA. 

THE lady of Mompos continued with our party. 
She, as well as her negro servant woman, cut a very 
singular figure, when prepared for the road. She 
did not use a saddle, but between two trunks 
strapped upon the horse's back, some bundles and 
a pillow were placed, and upon these she sat like 
a tailor. Besides the trunks, there were baskets 
and some articles of furniture ; and a utensil, which^ 
above all others, I supposed a lady would have 
dispensed with, on such an occasion, tied by its 
handle, hung dangling at the horse's flanks. But, 
such is their French indifference to these matters,, 
that our fair traveller even drew my attention to her 
indispensable, with an expression of apprehension, 
lest it should get broken by the jolting of the 
horse. 

April 28th. Left Barancas at 9, A. M.— arrived 
at Amatis at 5, P. M.-— eleven leagues, resting one 
hour at dinner. 

Amatis, a large village, was destroyed last year 
by fire ; it is now nearly rebuilt. The houses are 
constructed of canes, covered with rushes. The 
dividing partitions of the interior do not extend to 
the roof, but only as high as the eaves, leaving a 



%72 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

large space formed by the pitch of the roof, for the 
circulation of air. 

The road is level, and winds through a forest of 
large and beautiful cotton-wood trees. The vines 
bearing the vanilla bean were pointed out to us. 

April 29th. Left Amatis, at 6|" . At half a league 
from the town, forded a creek ; on reaching the op- 
posite side, a demand of one real for each mule, 
was made. As this demand of toll for permission to 
ford a river, appeared somewhat unreasonable, I he- 
sitated to comply ; till the mule conductor and our 
companion informed me, that it was an established 
revenue of Carthagena, for the purpose of keeping 
a water communication from Barancas to that city 
open, by means of the canal we were then crossing. 

As Carthagena is not at the embouchure of the 
Magdalena, this communication, will, at no distant 
day, be rendered practicable for boats, which will 
save the twenty-three leagues land carriage from 
Barancas to the city. The ground is very favour- 
able; a few thousand dollars, by following the course 
which nature has traced, would complete the work. 

On making inquiries afterwards, at Carthagena, 
I understood that a navigable canal had formerly 
existed between that city and the Magdalena; though 
for many years it has ceased to be useful, for want 
of the necessary attention to its repair. This work 
is said to have been found by the earliest European 
settlers, and is attributed to the Indians, or some 
former occupants of the soil. 

At 12|, entered the village Alhone — six leagues, 



TURBACO. 273 

and at £§, arrived in the rain, at Turbaco — two 
leagues further, where we stopped for the night. 
While seeking shelter under the porch of an unoc- 
cupied house, till the Alcalde could be found, we 
received a polite invitation, to occupy an excellent 
mansion, belonging to a gentleman of Carthagena, 
We found these quarters excellent, and the house- 
keeper very attentive to our comfort. 

This town, the summer retreat of the wealthy in- 
habitants of Carthagena, is celebrated for its health- 
ful and pleasant climate ; its elevation above the sea, 
is about 1000 feet. 

A mile to the east of Turbaco, are situated small 
mounds, from which water and air are discharged, 
called los volcancitos. According to the Indian tra- 
dition, these mounds formerly gave out flames, but 
were converted, by the efficacy of some holy water 
sprinkled on them, by a pious priest, into volcanes 
de agua. They consist of eighteen or twenty cones, 
about twenty feet high, having an opening at the 
apex, filled with water, from which azotic gas is 
discharged with considerable noise, at intervals of 
half a minute. 

During the early part of the revolution, this town 
was destroyed by the orders of the patriot General 
Castillo, whose plan of defence was to create a de- 
sert around his post. While blockaded in the city, 
Bolivar was sent by the congress, with some troops 
to relieve the place, and assume the command. 
Castillo refused to acknowledge his authority, or 
receive him into the city ; upon which, the President 

35 



&74 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

with characteristic disinterestedness, placed his 
troops at Castillo's disposal, and embarked for the 
Islands, to procure supplies of arms and munitions. 

Carthagena, after undergoing all the horrors of a 
siege and bombardment, surrendered at discretion, 
and its ill-fated commander was executed by the 
Spaniards. 

April 30th. Left Turbaco at 4, A. M. and stop- 
ped at a house a little without the walls of Cartha- 
gena, at 8, A. M.— four leagues. Here we left our 
riding mules, and procured a calesa, a clumsy ve- 
hicle drawn by one horse, to make our entrance 
into the town. The driver, a large negro, straddled 
his diminutive pony, and in a few minutes, brought 
us to the residence of William D. Robinson, Esq. 
who had given us a polite invitation to remain with 
him, during our stay in Carthagena. 

We were detained in this city, waiting for a ves- 
sel, till the 7th of June, when we embarked on 
board a small schooner of ninety tons, and after 
an unpleasant passage, arrived in New York on the 
4<th of July. 

Recapitulation of Distances and Stages from Bogota, 



1823. April 6. 

7. 

8. 

10. 


To Facatativa 
Villeta - 
Guaduas 
Honda 


6 leagues, 

5 

4 

7 
22 


Carried over 


. 


22 



ITINERARY. 




Brought over - 


- 


Navigation of the Magdalena—from Honda. 


April 17, 18. To Nare 


43£ 


19, 20. San-Bartoleme 


26£ 


21. San-Pablo - 


38 


22. Ocafia 


32 


23, 24. City of Mompos 


37 


26, 27. Barancas 


33 

.,„, i 


By Land— from Barancas. 




April 28. To Amatis 


11 


29. Turbaco 


8 



275 

22 leagues. 



210 



30. City of Carthagena 4 

23 



255 leagues, 
or 765 miles from Bogota, by the Magdalena to Carthagena, 

Carthagena, which next to La Guayra, is most 
frequented by our merchants, is built immediately 
on the sea-shore, in 10° 26' 35" north latitude, and 
1° 28' 45" east longitude, from Washington. 

Its population, (in 1823,) about 15,000. 

The climate, though warm, is tempered by a re- 
freshing sea-breeze. 

The fortifications completely encompass the town, 
and a large half-moon embraces the suburb, which 
communicates with the city, by means of a draw- 
bridge, defended by a battery. Within cannon shot 
in the rear, is the famous castle San-Felipe, built 
upon an eminence. This castle, which was formerly 
very strong, is now much dilapidated. It was before 
this work, that admiral Vernon and general Went- 



$76 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

worth, in 1739, received a severe check, in an attack 
described by Smollet, at which that writer assisted, 
Three thousand Americans accompanied this expe- 
dition Previous to this, Carthagena had been pil- 
laged by Sir Francis Drake, and in 1597? by the 
French under M. de Pointis, and the Buccaneers, 
A mile from the castle is the height called La 
Popa, from its resemblance to the stern of a ship., 
This hill has a church perched upon its summit, 
the residence of a miraculous lady, formerly applied 
to upon all distressing occasions ; from the ruinous 
condition of her mansion, one would be inclined to 
suppose, that she had grown into disrepute. This 
eminence is also crowned with a battery. 

The ramparts of the irregular work, which en- 
compasses the town, have their foundations on the 
sea-beach, secured in the most exposed places by 
an excellent breakwater, over which, the surf dashes 
at some periods, with much violence. The walls, 
about fourteen feet high, are constructed of excel- 
lent stone, in the most durable manner. The bas- 
tions and demi-bastions are capacious, the curtains 
well flanked, and the whole work is bristled with 
numerous pieces of beautiful bronze artillery, prin- 
cipally eighteen's and twenty-four's, and some fine 
eight and ten inch mortars of the same metal. The 
platforms are of pebbles taken from the sea-shore, 
embedded in cement, and smoothly plastered. A 
wet ditch, in the rear, filled by the sea, cuts off the 
city from the main land. The casemates are numer- 
ous and capacious. One in particular, capable of 



CARTHAGENA. 377 

containing one thousand men, has a very fine ap- 
pearance ; its front looks into one of the streets, and 
is ornamented with forty-one stone arches. 

The troops composing the garrison of Carthagena, 
are quartered in some fine confiscated houses, and 
at the different gates. The various guards are 
marched off from the grand parade in the plaza, 
with much pomp and circumstance, to the music of 
an excellent band. In the evening, this band plays 
in the plaza before tattoo, for the amusement of 
the citizens. 

This city is said to resemble those of the Penin- 
sula. The streets are narrow, and somewhat ir- 
regular, the houses higher than any I have seen 
in Colombia, although, but of two stories. Many 
are provided with look-outs, erected on the roof- 
tops, or with square towers, which afford an exten- 
sive view of the sea. Some of the streets are so 
narrow, that it would not be difficult to jump from 
one balcony to that opposite. It is not uncommon 
to see baskets crossing the street, suspended from 
a cord, stretched between the houses of two friends, 
who have in this way established a sort of post, by 
which to communicate the gossip of the day. 

About one-eighth of the houses of the city are un- 
occupied, or are in ruins, and half of the suburb, 
enclosed by the demi-lune, has been destroyed. 
This devastation was produced during the siege and 
bombardment by Morillo. Formerly the road to 
La Popa was lined with beautiful villas ; these were 
razed by the same general, during his operations 
against the town. 



SyB NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Carthagena is one of the three cities in America* 
at which sessions of the inquisition were formerly 
held ; the other two being Lima and Mexico. The 
palace of this dreadful tribunal, is a very handsome 
structure, occupying one side of the public square. 
It is now appropriated for public offices, and as a 
place of confinement for prisoners of war. It is 
said to have subterranean communications with the 
various churches and convents of the town; by means 
of which, obnoxious persons could be conveyed to 
the Holy office and incarcerated, without its being 
known what had become of them. 

The church opposite possesses an elegant spe- 
cimen of the fine arts, in an exquisitely sculptured 
marble pulpit, but is no otherwise remarkable. 

This is the only town in Colombia, I have visit- 
ed, in which wheel carriages are used. There are 
many clumsy calesas. One or two fashionable gigs, 
and a coach have lately been introduced by foreign- 
ers ; but these outlandish vehicles are looked upon 
with an evil eye by the inhabitants. Ox carts are 
also used, the oxen being yoked by the horns. 

So great is the opposition to innovation, that a 
foreign merchant, who imported a dray for the trans- 
portation of his own goods, was interdicted the use 
of it, on the plea that it would deprive the porters 
of employment. 

On mentioning one day that 1 had been into a 
turner's shop, and had been surprised to see a man 
turning a bedpost, by giving it a rotary motion 
with a bow and cord held in his right hand, while 
he directed the chisel with his left, assisted by his 



CARTHAGENA. ^79 

toes ; I was informed that a turning lathe had been 
imported, but the workmen could not be induced to 
give it a trial. 

The harbour of Carthagena is formed by a tongue 
of land which extends from the city, nearly parallel 
with the coast for fourteen miles. At its termi- 
nation, is the entrance called Boca Chica, strongly 
defended by batteries. A much larger and more 
convenient entrance called Boca Grande, a short 
distance from the city, has been filled up, with a 
view to the defence of the place, and it has been 
found impracticable to remove the obstructions. 
The harbour is perfectly protected from winds, but 
the water is so shallow near the town, that small 
schooners are obliged to use lighters. The worms 
are very destructive ; no vessel not coppered should 
enter the port. 

Cotton, sugar, cacao, indigo, Brazil and Nica- 
raga woods, cinchona, balm of Tolii, and ipeca- 
cuanha, are among the exports from Carthagena 



APPENDIX A 



Gommercial Regulations of the Republic of Colombia, 
collected under the instructions of the Secretary of 
State, addressed to the Minister Plenipotentiary of 
the United States to that Republic, and digested from 
the laivs, treaties, and decrees of that Government, on 
the subject of Navigation and Commerce. 

DUTIES ON IMPORTS. 

The following tariff, or rate of duties, on imported goods, 
isto take effect, bylaw, on the first day of September, 1826. 

The law divides the import duties into four distinct 
classes, in the following manner, viz. on goods imported 
in Colombian vessels from the United States or Europe, in 
Colombian vessels from Colonies, in foreign vessels from 
the United States or Europe, and in foreign vessels from 
Colonies. 

TABLE No. 1. 



j Articles subject to an ad valo- 
1 rem duty. 



f Brass, manufactures of - 
Boots .... 
i Cordag'e ... 
] Cables - - - - 
I Cotton, manufactures of 
! Chandeliers, glass - 
j Carriages, of all kinds - 
\ Capers - . - 



National vessels. 



From the 
U. States 

or Europe. 



per ct. 

in 

25 

n 

n 

10 

25 
25 

m 



36 



From 
Colonies. 



From the 
U. States 
or Europe, 



per ct. 



25 
30 
15 
15 

m 

30 

30 
25 



Foreign vessels. 



per ct. 



25 

30 

15 

15 

17* 

30" 

30 

25 



From 
Colonies. 



per ct. 



30 

35 

20 

20 

22£ 

35 

35 

30 



NOTES ON COLOMBlAo 



TABLE No. 


I. — Continued. 




Articles subject to an ad valo- 


National vessels. 


Foreign 


vessels. 1 


From the 




From the 




rem duty. 


U. States. 


From 


U. States 


From 


or Europe. 


Colonies. 


or Europe. 


Colonies. | 


per ct. 


per ct. 


per ct. 


per ct. 1 


Cards, playing 1 ... 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Clothing, ready made . 


25 


30 


30 


35 j 


1 Earthenware, European 


124 


20 


20 


25 


Essences, (perfumery) - 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Flax, manufactures of - 


10 


174 


174 


224 | 


Feathers, dress ... 


15 


224 


224 


274 


Fans, of every sort 


15 


224 


224 


274 | 


Fruits, dried and preserved - 


174 


25 


25 


30 


Furniture, household - 


25 


30 


30 


35 ! 


Flowers, artificial - 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Galloons .... 


m 


20 


20 


25 


Glass ware and glass 


124 


20 


20 


25 


Glasses, looking ... 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Glass chandeliers - 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Hemp, manufactures of 


10 


174 


174 


224 


Hats of beaver, wool, cotton, 










or silk .... 


12^ 


20 


20 


25 


Lace, silk or thread 


15 


224 


224 


274 


Lace shawls .... 


15 


224 


224 


274 


Looking glasses ... 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Lead, in bars or balls - 


5 


12 


12 


17 


Medicines of all kinds - 


n 


15 


15 


20 


Oils, of all descriptions 


124 


20 


20 


25 


Olives - - - - 


174 


25 


25 


30 


Paper, of all kinds 


n 


15 


15 


20 


Pitch ..... 


74 


15 


15 


20 


Pickles .... 


174 


25 


25 


30 


Provisions .... 


174 


25 


25 


30 


Perfumery - - - » 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Perfumed waters or oils - ^ 


1 25 


30 


30 


35 


Surgical instruments 


74 


15 


15 


20 


Spermaceti, manufactured or 










unmanufactured 


124 


20 


20 


25 


Saddles, men or women's 


124 


20 


20 


25 


Silk goods, of all kinds, the 










produce or manufacture of 










Europe .... 


15 


224 


224 


27* 


Soap - 


124 


20 


20 


25" 


; Stones, precious and jewels - 


15 


224 


22* 


274 


i Skins, tanned ... 


15 


22* 


224 


274 


J Silver, manufactures of 


174 


25 


25 


30 


Steel, manufactures of - 


174 


25 


25 


30 


! Shoes, men and women's 


25 


30 


30 


35 



APPENDIX. 



288 



TABLE No. 


I. — Continued. 




j 

Articles subject to an ad valo- 
rem duty. 


National vessels. 


Foreign 


vessels. 


From the 
U. States 
or Europe. 


From 
Colonies. 


From the 
U. States 
or Europe. 


From 
Colonies. 


per ct. 


per ct. 


per ct. 


per ct. 


Shawls, lace - 


15 


22£ 


22* 


27| 


Tin, sheet .... 


n 


15 


15 


20 


Tar, 


n 


15 


15 


20 


Tin, manufactures of - 


m 


25 


25 


30 


Umbrellas - 


25 


30 


30 


35 


Wool, manufactures of - 


10 


m 


m 


22i 


Worsted goods ... 
Wax, manufactured or unma- 


10 


m 


m 


22£ 


nufactured 


m 


20 


20 


25 


Watches, gold and silver 


12£ 


20 


20 


25 


All other descriptions of mer- 
chandise and effects not in- 










cluded in the above enume- 










ration, and not embraced 










among the articles paying a 
specific duty in Table No. 2, 
and not declared " free" - 


m 


25 


25 


30 



20 do. 



25 do. 



All sorts of merchandise and effects, the manu- 
factures or natural productions of the Asiatic 
nations, and of European establishments in 
Asia, not dependent on the Spanish Govern- 
. ment, if imported in National vessels direct 12 per cent 
The above articles, when imported in National 

vessels indirectly - 
The above in Foreign vessels, whether directly 
or indirectly - 
Duties on goods paying an ad valorem rate, are calcu- 
lated in the following manner : " to the first cost of the 
goods and effects in the Foreign port, whence the exporta- 
tion is made, shall be added twenty per cent, and the 
duties shall be calculated and collected on that amount." 

The invoices of all goods, paying an ad valorem duty, 
must bear at the foot thereof the oath of the owner of the 
goods, if he resides in the port or place where they were 
purchased, and, if not, then of his agent, who purchased 



&84< NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

them, affirming that the value in the invoice is ttje true 
cost thereof, in said port or place ; which oath must be 
certified by the Consul, Vice Consul, or Commercial Agent 
of Colombia ; or, if no such officer resides at the port, 
then by the Consul, Vice Consul, or Commercial Agent of 
some friendly power, having a treaty of commerce with the 
Republic, and, if there be none such, then it must be cer- 
tified by three merchants of the port, whence the shipment 
is made. 

Whenever any goods are imported not accompanied by 
the invoice, or the invoice shall not have the requisites 
prescribed above, the goods shall be valued at the current 
price in the port to which they are brought, and on that 
valuation the duties shall be calculated and collected. From 
this provision are excepted goods saved from shipwreck. 

The owner, agent, or consignee, who shall receive goods 
from a Foreign port, shall, immediately on the arrival of 
the vessel making the importation, present the invoice 
and bill of lading, and make oath before the proper officer 
of the Customs, that the invoice and bill of lading, which 
he delivers, are the originals which he has received. 

If the Administrator of the Customs shall suspect that 
the goods have been put down in the invoice at less than 
the true value in the port whence they were exported", 
he shall cause them to be valued at the prices which they 
would bear at the place whence they came, at the time of 
exportation ; and, if the value thus assessed should exceed 
the value in the invoice by twenty per cent, then fifty per 
cent, shall be put upon the estimated value, and the duties 
shall be calculated and collected thereon. Provided, how- 
ever, when the estimated value as above shall not exceed 
the invoice value by twenty per cent, then the estimated 
value shall be considered the true value. 

Two persons are named by the President to act as va- 
luers in each port, who shall not be merchants. Whenever 



APPENDIX. 



283 



the owner or consignee is dissatisfied with the valua- 
tion fixed by the valuers, he may select two merchants of 
the place, who shall proceed, with the two first, again to 
examine and value the goods, and shall make a report of 
their proceedings to the Collector ; and if the owner or 
Consignee be still dissatisfied, he may appeal to the Go- 
vernor of the Province, whose determination shall be final. 
Goods saved from shipwreck shall be valued at the cur- 
rent price, at the port of exportation ; and the same rules 
shall be observed whenever any deduction of duties is 
claimed on account of injury to the goods during the voyage. 



TABLE No. II. 



Articles subject to specific 
rates of duty. 


National vessels. 


For'n vessels. 


From the United 
States or Europe. 


A 

V 

'£ 
o 

o 

£ 
o 
u 


*3 cj 

O J2, 

.-£ O 

I- t* 

3 S 
c m 

P. <u 

g •£ 


.2 
o 
"3 

o 

£ 
p 

£ 


Anise - 
Beer in bottles 

Otherwise than in bot- 
tles ... 
Beef, salt 

smoked 
Biscuit - 

Copper, in bars or rods - 
in sheets - 
manufactured - 
Cider, in bottles 

otherwise than in 
bottles 
Fish, all kinds of salt 
Flour, in barrels of eight 

arrobas each 
Gin, in bottles or flasks 
not in flasks 
. Gunpowder - 
j Hams - 


$6 00 
1 50 

1 00 

2 00 
1 50 

3 00 

4 00 

4 50 

5 00 
75 

1 00 

1 50 

3 00 
3 00 

2 00 
8 00 
5 00 


quintal 
dozen 

arroba 
quintal 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
dozen 

arroba 
quintal 

barrel 
dozen 
arroba 
quintal 
do. 


o 

eg 

"o 
<u 

C- A 
« a 
<a c 

•** £ 

5§ 

H w 

-a a 
g.2 

% s 

s s 

v a 

4) 

> 

£ 


O A 

si 

4) 3 

5*3 

«° 

d> CO 

^e£ 
2 S 

en " 

|-| 

-£ 4) 

5 5 
o ._- 

t. d 

cS "' 

_, o 

*C ti- 
S'l 

- <u 
s ft 
« m 

tetg 


Fifteen per centum is to be added to the spe- 
cific duty mentioned in the first column. 



%86 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

TABLE No. II.— Continued, 



1 




National vessels. 


For'n 


vessels. 








CO 

4> 




en 

4> 


Articles subject to specific 








"c 


•ag 

W 


'S 


rates of duty- 


From the United 


o 


O 

o 




States or Europe. 


y 


*5 o 


O 










S 


** 'R 


£ 










o 


a ° 


o 










ft 


fH CO 


to 


Iron in bars, and other 










Q 


fj 


forms, not manufactured 


$2 01 


quintal 


c 


o 


a 


Iron manufactured, except 








S 


CO 


^3 


those articles declared 








d 

o 


V 


o 


free - 


6 


00 


do. 


o 




JO 


Liquors, in bottles 


3 


00 


dozen 


CO 


.5 


e§ 


Pork, salted - 


3 


00 


quintal 


«4S 


*d 


1) 


smoked 


2 


50 


do. 


4) 


c 


+3 


Powder ... 


8 


00 


do. 


.a 

4) 


o 


_C 


I Rappee - - - - 




50 


a bottle 






j Spirits from sugar-cane, 








a 


e 
.2 


and its compounds 


3 


00 


arroba 


.2 


&" 




1 Spirits from grapes, roots, 










s 

T3 


a 


fruits, grain, and other 








4> 

S 


o 


substances, in bottles 


2 


50 


dozen 


'3 


"d 


Do. not in bottles 


2 


00 


arroba 


3 


4) 


Salt .... 


1 


00 


quintal 


*d 


CO 


o 


Snuff .... 




50 


a bottle 


a 




'3 


Tallow, unmanufactured 


2 


00 


quintal 


"3 


O 


4) 


manufactured 


5 


00 


do. 


P* 




CO 


Vinegar, in bottles 


1 


00 


dozen 


CO 

<U 


■d 
41 


1 


not in bottles - 




75 


arroba 


£ 


*d 
•d 


O 


Wine, Madeira and Cham- 








o 


4) 


*-> 


paign ... 


3 


00 


dozen 


n3 


ja 


41 

■d 


Madeira, not in bottles - 


2 


25 


arroba 


u 

•d 


o 


-d 


Wine, red, in bottles 




62£ 


dozen 




CO 


4) 


not in bottles 




75 


arroba 


CD 


*J 


^3 


Wine, Malaga, Muscatel, 








-Q 




o 
-t-> 


and all wines embraced 








O 

4-> 


£4 


CO 


under the description of 








CO 


0) 


a 


" Vino Generoso," in 








s 


tj- 


B 


bottles ... 


1 


50 


dozen 


4> 


"cS 


o 

4) 


Do. not in bottles 


1 


25 


arroba 


e3 




Wine, Canary, and all other 








u 


H3 


PU 


wines embraced under 








4> 
P. 




c 


the description of " Vino 








V 


C 


4) 

4) 


Seco," in bottles 


1 


25 


dozen 


> 


> 


<M 


Do. not in bottles 


1 


00 


arroba 


03 


ft 



APPENDIX. 



287 



Examples illustrating the foregoing Tables. 



Table No 1, ad valorem 

duty. 

An invoice of silks, 

First cost - - $10,000 

Add 20 per cent. 2,000 

$ 12,000 
Table No 2, specific duty. 
One barrel flour 


National vessels. Foreign vessels. 


From the United 
States or Europe. 


DQ 

U 

S 
p 


"S o 

v u 

"5 ° 
p S 
It 

£ on 


V 

5 
"3 

o 

£ 


duty,dols duty, dols^uty^ols 


duty,dols 


1800 
o 


2700 
3 15 


2700 
3 22* 


3300 

3 45 



All goods, the growth, produce, or manufacture of the 
continent of America, once under the dominion of Spain, 
imported directly from the independent nations in Colom- 
bian or foreign vessels, shall pay duties as from the United 
States, or Europe ; but goods so imported, which are not 
of the growth, produce, or manufactures, of these countries, 
pay duties as from Colonies, whether the importation be in 
national or foreign vessels, unless it be otherwise regulated 
by treaty. 

The following rules are to be observed in the payment 
of duties, and on the arrival of the cargo, whether the goods 
pay a specific or ad valorem duty. "The duties on impor- 
" tation shall be paid by halves, in two instalments ; the 
"first at the expiration of three months; the second at the 
" expiration of six months ; to be counted from the day of 
" entry. 

" The owner or consignee of the goods must give bond 
" for the duties, with two securities, residents of the place, 
'■ to be approved of hy the Administrator of the customs. 
"If the payment of the duty is not punctually made, the 
"'Administrator is to proceed immediately against the 
" debtors, who, besides the costs, shall also p&y an interest 
" of one per centum a month upon the amount of duty from 



£88 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

" the day on which it was due, until paid. If the duty is paid 
" in advance, a discount is made of one-half of one per 
" cent a month." 

Masters of all vessels must, at the moment of entering 
the port, deliver to the officer who shall go on board, a 
signed manifest of the number of packages belonging to 
himself, or to merchants or passengers, with their marks, 
and also declare under oath that the manifest contains all 
those which he received on board. 

The Collector is to point out one from each ten in the 
invoice, which he shall cause to be opened and examined, 
and if the goods are not found to correspond with the in- 
voice, the whole shall be examined, and the goods valued, 
and fifty per centum is to be added to the valuation, upon 
which the duties are then to be calculated. If any goods 
are found which are not mentioned at all in the invoice, 
the whole package in which they are is forfeited. 

The word "colonies," in the law, embraces the West 
India Islands, the European possessions in both Americas 
and Africa; the commerce with Asia being regulated by a, 
different provision. It is understood, by inquiry at the 
custom house, that Hayti is regarded as a colony in the 
provisions of this law. 

In the laws of Colombia, the expression "national 
vessels" is used only in contradistinction to " foreign 
vessels;" it is not meant to refer to public vessels in the 
way in which the expression is frequently used in the 
United States. 

A quintal is one hundred pounds in Colombia, equal to 
one hundred and four in the United States. 

An arroba is one-fourth of a quintal. 

A mark, when applied to the weight of silver, is eight 
ounces or half a pound. 

It is provided, in the laws, that, when a general de 



APPENDIX. 289 

scription of goods would embrace them at a certain rate of 
duty, and under a particular description, they are charged 
at a different rate ; that the rate under the last description 
is the true one : for example, the manufactures of steel, 
when imported from the United States in hational vessels, 
pay an ad valorem duty of seventeen and a half per cent, 
but surgical instruments being particularly designated, pay, 
under the same circumstances, only seven and a half per 
cent. 

Free Articles. 

The following articles are imported free of duty, viz. — 

Books, in all languages, Statues, 

Maps, Collections of antiques. 

Charts, Busts, 

Philosophical instruments Medals, 

and apparatus, Agricultural implements, 

Engravings, Plants and seeds. 

Pictures, 

All kinds of machinery for the improvement of agricul- 
ture, or for the preparation or manufacture of the products 
of the earth. 

All machines and utensils to be used in mining, or in 
working gold, silver, platina, mercury, copper, iron, or 
other metals, semi-metals, or minerals. 

All machines to be used in the navigation of lakes and 
rivers. 

All machines and instruments to be used in the manu- 
facture of cotton and wool. 

All instruments or parts of a laboratory or workshop, 
"belonging to any citizen, or foreigner, professor of any 
liberal or mechanical art, who shall come to the country 
and establish himself in his profession or trade. 

Printing presses, and all necessary apparatus for print- 
ing, types, and printing ink. 

37 



&9Q NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Gold, silver, and other precious metals, coined, or in 
bullion. 

Prohibited Articles. 

The importation of the following articles is prohibited 
under penalty of forfeiting the Ship and Cargo, viz. — 

Coffee, Molasses, 

Cacao, Tobacco, 

Indigo, Muskets, Rifles, and Car- 

Sugar, bines. 

All articles, the growth, produce, or manufacture of Spain 

or her Colonies. 

EXPORT DUTIES. 

The following is the Tariff of Export Duties, to take 
effect by law, on the first day of July, 1826. 

.Articles paying an ad valorem duty, are the following: 
Cacao ------ 10 per cent. 

Indigo ------ 5 

Hides - - - 10 

Dye Woods ----- 5 

Other precious Woods and Timber - 4 
All other articles and productions, 

not otherwise mentioned below - 4 
The duty is to be calculated on the current price of the 
article at the place of exportation ; to ascertain this, the 
Collector is, on the last day of every month, to affix at 
the door of his office, a list of the current prices of the ar- 
ticles paying the ad valorem export duty, to be fixed by 
two Merchants, and three Planters. 

Articles paying a specific Duty. 

Mules - - -....;- - - $ 20 each. 

Horses - - - - - - 16 

Asses __-_-- 6 

Each head of horned Cattle - - - 12 50 



APPENDIX, 29! 

Free Articles. 
The following articles are exported free of Axxiy. 
All articles manufactured Rice, 

in Colombia, Indian Corn, 

Coffee, All articles of " first neces- 

Cotton, sity," 

Quina, (Jesuit's bark,) Money and Coins. 

Prohibited Articles. 

The exportation of the following articles is prohibited: 

Platina, Gold in dust or bars. 

Silver in bullion, 

From this prohibition is excepted Gold and Silver which 
may be extracted from the mines in the " Department of 
the Isthmus," or which may be brought there from any 
foreign country. Such Gold or Silver can be exported by 
paying a duty of three per cent, on the Gold which has 
previously paid the extraction duty, and six on that which 
has not paid that duty ; and by paying fifty cents a mark 
on the Silver. This Department embraces the provinces 
on the Isthmus of Panama, including Porto Bello and 
Chagres on the Atlantic, and Panama on the Pacific Ocean. 

The President has authority by law, during the con- 
tinuance of the present war, to prohibit, if he shall think 
proper, the exportation of horses, mules, and articles of 
the " first necessity." 

Tobacco cannot be purchased for exportation, from the 
growers: it is a monopoly in the hands of the government, 
and can be purchased only from its agents. Government 
retains the monopoly of no other article. 

There is no bounty allowed on the exportation of any 
article. 

Drawback and Warehousing. 
There is no drawback, properly so called, allowed upon 



2Q2 NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

the re-exportation of any imported article. A system of 
Warehousing, which does not require that the duties should 
be paid or put in bond, has been partially introduced. Por- 
to Cavello and Carthagena on the Atlantic, and Guayaquil 
on the Pacific, are designated by law as " ports of deposited 
into which all kinds of goods may be introduced and de- 
posited in the public warehouses, where they remain until 
the owner or consignee may reclaim them, either in part, 
or in the whole, and either for sale and consumption or 
for re-exportation. 

When the goods are taken out of the Warehouse for sale 
in the country, the import duties are to be paid on the same 
terms and at the same periods, which are fixed by the ge- 
neral law; and the time is to be calculated from the day on 
which the goods are withdrawn from deposite. 

If the goods are withdrawn for re-exportation, there is 
210 import duty to be paid ; but on all goods deposited in 
the Warehouses, there is due a deposite duty, at the rate 
of four per centum per annum upon the amount of the in- 
voice, to be calculated from the day on which they are 
Warehoused, to the day on which they are withdrawn for 
sale or re-exportation. This duty is to be paid at the time 
of taking the goods out. 

When the goods are withdrawn from deposite for the 
purpose of re-exportation to any other port of Colombia, 
the officer of the customs is to deliver to the owner or 
consignee, a copy of the invoice, expressing on it, that the 
goods mentioned therein, have not paid the import duties. 

Tonnage Duties. 

The following rates are established in the payment of 
Tonnage duties: Per ton. 

. A National vessel - - - - 12| cents. 
A Foreign vessel - - - - 50 

A National vessel of twenty tons and under, free-. 



APPENDIX. 293 

National vessels, prpceeding from one 1 Per ton. 
port of the Republic to another, for > 6^ cents, 
each ton over twenty ) 

On the entry of the vessel into port, the proper officer 
shall receive from the master or supercargo, the register, 
and on the sailing of the vessel, is to redeliver it to him, if 
the tonnage duty has been paid. Whenever a consul, or 
commercial agent of the Nation, to which the vessel be- 
longs, resides in the port, then the officer, after having re- 
ceived the register, and after having ascertained the ton- 
nage of the vessel, shall pass over the register to the Con- 
sul or Commercial Agent, upon his receipt, and under- 
taking that the duty shall be paid within ten days after the 
entry of the vessel. 

Pilotage, Light, and other Port Duties. 

The following charges are paid under this head: 

A general harbor fee on 
National vessels 6 dollars* 

Foreign vessels - - - = 12 

Anchorage duty. 
National vessels - - - - 12 

Foreign vessels - - - - 16 

Beacon and Light duty. 
National vessels 4 

Foreign =,=,„_ q 

Pilotage, ( where necessary.) 
National vessels 8 

Foreign vessels . - - - - 14 
In the river Guayaquil, National vessels pay a pilotage 
of eight, and Foreign vessels sixteen dollars, from Arena 
to Apuna, and the same from Apuna up to the port of 
Guayaquil. In the river Orinoco, the pilotage is ten dol- 
lars for each foot the vessel draws, from the mouth of the 
river to the port of Angostura, upon National or Foreign 
vessels. 



394) NOTES ON COLOMBIA, 

Transit duty. 

There is to be paid upon all goods passing over the Isth- 
mus of Panama, from the one ocean to the other, a duty of 
two per cent, to be calculated on the value of the invoice, 
which is to be delivered, certified, and sworn to, as is pro- 
vided in the importation law. 

Ships' Papers and National Character of Mariners, 

All vessels built in Colombia, and owned by citizens 
thereof; or built elsewhere, and acquired by purchase or 
lawful capture, whereof the master and three-fourths of the 
mariners are Colombian citizens, are deemed by law, Co- 
lombian vessels. In the treaty with the United States, it 
is agreed that if either nation shall be engaged in war, the 
vessels of the other shall be furnished with sea-letters or 
passports, expressing the name, property, and bulk of the 
ship, and the name and place of habitation of the master, 
and when the vessels are laden, they shall also have certi- 
ficates containing the several particulars of the cargo, and 
the place whence the ship sailed. 

Any one who shall serve for six months on board any 
Colombian vessel, may obtain letters of naturalization by 
taking the oath of allegiance to the republic. 

Coasting Trade. 

The trade from one port to another, in Colombia, is pro- 
hibited to all foreign vessels. 

Colonial Trade* 

Colombia having no colonies, no observation is necessary 
under this head. The Island of Margarita is an integral part 
of the republic, and is regarded as such in all the commer- 
cial and political regulations of the country. 



APPENDIX. 295 

Comparative Footing of National and Foreign ships, 
and of the Trade with Different Countries. 

WITH THE UNITED STATES. 

To ascertain the effect of the foregoing regulations on 
the commerce and navigation of the United States, it is ne- 
cessary to consider them in connexion with the treaty be- 
tween the two countries, concluded at Bogota, on the 3d 
of October, 1824, and with the decree of the 30th of Ja- 
nuary, 1826, issued in pursuance of the treaty, abolishing 
the discriminating duties in certain cases. 

The articles of the treaty on this subject are — 

" Article 2d. The United States of America, and the 
" Republic of Colombia, desiring to live in peace and 
" harmony with all the other nations of the earth, by 
" means of a policy, frank -and equally friendly with all, 
" engage, mutually, not to grant any particular favour to 
" other nations, in respect of commerce and navigation, 
" which shall not immediately become common to the 
" other party, who shall enjoy the same freely, if the con- 
" cession was freely made, or on allowing the same com- 
" pensation, if the concession was conditional. 

" Art. 3d. The citizens of the United States may fre- 
" quent the coasts and countries of the Republic of Colom- 
" bia, and reside and trade there, in all sorts of produce, 
" manufactures, and merchandise, and shall pay no other 
" or greater duties, charges, or fees whatsoever, than the 
" most favoured nation is or shall be obliged to pay ; and 
" they shall enjoy all the rights, privileges, and exemptions 
" in navigation and commerce, which the most favoured 
" nation does or shall enjoy." 

The effect of these articles was to ensure to the com- 
merce and navigation of the United States, at all times, the 
footing of the most favoured nation; and, of course, that 
footing is to be ascertained from the concessions which Co- 



396 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

lombia may make, from time to time, to other nations. On. 
the 18th of April, 1825, a treaty of commerce and navi- 
gation was concluded between Colombia and Great Britain, 
which placed British commerce, as to certain purposes, on 
the footing of the commerce of the native, and contained 
the following provisions: 

"The same duties shall be paid on the importation into 
" the territories of Colombia, of any article, the growth, 
" produce, or manufacture, of his Britannic Majesty's do- 
" minions, whether such importation be in Colombian or 
" British vessels." 

"The same duties shall be paid, and the same bounties 
" and drawbacks allowed, on the exportation of articles the 
"growth, produce, or manufacture, of Colombia, to his 
" Britannic Majesty's dominions, whether such exportation 
"be in Colombian or British vessels." 

"No other or higher duties on account of tonnage, light 
" or harbour dues, pilotage, damage in case of shipwreck, 
" or any other local charges, shall be imposed in any of the 
" ports of Colombia on British vessels, than those payable 
"in the same ports, on Colombian vessels." 

These stipulations gave the United States a right, under 
their treaty, to have their commerce placed in the same 
situation, and, in consequence of their demand through 
their minister, the decree was issued by the Republic of 
Colombia, of which the following is an extract : 

" It being obligatory on Colombia not to grant any par- 
" ticular favours to other nations, in respect to commerce- 
"and navigation, which shall not be made common to the 
"United States." 

" It is, therefore, decreed, That there shall be paid the 
" same duties on the importation in the territories of Co- 
"lombia, of any article, the growth, produce, or manufac- 
" ture, of the United States, and of the territories subject 
"to the United States, and there shall be paid the same 



APPENDIX. 297 

" duties, and allowed the same discount and bounties on 
"the exportation of any article, the growth, produce, or 
" manufacture, of Colombia, for the United States, whether 
" such importation or exportation be made in vessels of the 
"United States or Colombian vessels. 

u The vessels of the United States, which may enter the 
"ports of Colombia, shall pay no other or higher tonnage 
" dutie6, light duties, harbour charges, or other local charges, 
"than shall be paid on Colombian vessels in the same 
"ports." 

RECAPITULATION. 

From the laws and treaty, it appears that all articles, the 
growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, 
imported into Colombia, pay the same duties, whether the 
importation be in United States or Colombian vessels; and, 
of course, that the duties payable are such as are declared 
in the first column of the first and second tables, when the 
importation is made direct from the United States, and, in 
the second column, when it is made through the Colonies. 

Under the present law, there is no difference in the 
amount of the export duty, whether the exportation be in 
national or foreign vessels, but, when the exportation is in 
vessels of the United states, for ports of the United States, 
this equality in the duty is farther protected and ensured 
by the treaty and decree. In the case of an exportation to 
any other country, the equality of the duty depends on 
the continuance of the law. 

If ever discounts or bounties should be granted on the 
exportation of any Colombian articles, the vessels of the 
United States will be, as to these privileges, on the footing 
of national vessels. 

The tonnage, light, and all other port duties, are the same 
on United States and Colombian vessels. 

In all other cases, the laws imposing discriminating 
38 



298 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

duties, apply to the vessels of the United States, as to other 
foreign vessels. The privileges enjoyed as above by the 
commerce and navigation of the United States, will continue 
until the 27th day of May, 1837, unless the treaty between 
Great Britain and Colombia should be sooner altered or 
annulled. There is no limitation on the face of that treaty. 

The following general provisions for the security and ex- 
tension of commerce are contained in the treaty between 
the United States and Colombia. 

All merchants, commanders of ships, and other persons, 
may manage, themselves, their own business in the ports 
and places of each country, as well with respect to the sale 
and consignment of their goods, by wholesale or retail, as 
with respect to their loading, unloading, and sending off 
their ships. 

The citizens of neither country, nor their vessels, nor 
cargoes, are liable to any embargo, unless sufficient indem- 
nity be made to them for the detention. 

Free ships make free goods, except with regard to arti- 
cles of contraband. 

The property of the citizens of the one country, found 
on board the vessels of an enemy of the other, is lawful 
prize. 

The trade to an enemy's port is free, unless it is block- 
aded, and " those places only are besieged or blockaded, 
which are actually attacked by a belligerent force capable 
of preventing the entry of the neutral;" and a vessel sail- 
ing to such port may be turned away, " but shall not be de- 
tained, nor shall any part of her cargo, if not contraband, be 
confiscated, unless, after warning, of such blockade/rom the 
commanding officer of the blockading forces, she shall 
again attempt to enter." 

The principle that " the flag shall cover the property," 
is not recognized by Colombia with any nation but the 
United States; of course the vessels of no other nation hav- 



APPENDIX. 299 

ing Spanish property on board, are free from search and 
detention by Colombian privateers. 

Great Britain. 

The commerce of Colombia with Great Britain, is in all 

respects, regarding the amount and payment of duties, 

whether of import, export, tonnage or port duties, on the 

same footing on which the commerce of the United States is. 

Other European Nations. 
Colombia having no treaties of commerce with any other 
European nation, her commerce with them is governed by 
the rules applying to foreign vessels. 

Jlmerican Nations. 

Colombia has treaties of commerce only with Chili, Peru, 
and Guatemala. It is provided in them, " that the vessels 
and productions of each of the contracting parties shall pay 
no other duties of importation, exportation, tonnage, or an- 
chorage, than are or may be established in the ports of each 
other, for national vessels or productions." The effect of 
this article is a general abrogation of all discriminating du- 
ties in the commerce with those countries. In considering 
the right of the United States to have her commerce put on 
the same footing, it must be remembered that those trea- 
ties beside commercial regulations, have also articles which 
make them treaties of alliance ; how far these articles are 
to be considered as the equivalent for the commercial con- 
cessions, is a subject submitted. 

Colombian Ports. 

The ports open by law to foreign commerce, are, in the 
Atlantic — 

Pampatar and Juangriego, Riohacha, 

in the Island of Marga- Santa-Martha, 

rita, Garthagena, 



300 NOTES ON COLOMBIA. 

Cumana, Chagres, 

Barcelona, Porto Bello, 

Laguayra, Old Guayana and St. Thomas 

Porto Cavello, de Angostura in the Ori- 

Coro, noco. 

Maracaibo, 

In the Pacific. 
Guayaquil, Buenaventura, and 

Esmeraldas, Panama. 

All which is respectfully submitted. 

R. C. ANDERSON, J. 
To the Secretary op State. 
Bogota, May 1st, 1826. 



APPENDIX. 



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APPENDIX C. 



Prices of some of the Productions of Colombia. 

Petayno bark, (quina,) first quality, 10 arrobas, or 250 
lbs. (mule load,) in the mountains, - - - $ 32. 
Do. do. at Honda, - $50. 

Fusagasuga bark, 2d quality, do. do. - $ 20. 

Copper, (fundido,) at the mines of Moniquira, Province 
of Socorro, 25 cts. lb. $24 a quintal. 

Gold dust from Choco, 1st quality, $200 per lb. 

Platinum, (crude,) do. from $ 4 tp 6 per lb. 

Camima oil, in San-Pablo, on the banks of the Magda- 
lena, $10 per stone bottle. 

Balm of Tolu, in Mompos, at $ 3 per lb. 

Ipecacuanha, in San-Pablo, $ 1 per lb. 

Vanilla in the steppes of San-Martin, at $ 3 per lb. 

Otter (Nutria) skins, from San-Martin. 

Dragon's-blood, in Honda, $ 1 per lb. 

Tobacco, the best in Varinas, the neighbourhood of Bai- 
ladores, and at Guaduas on the Magdalena, the price from 
$ 1 1 to 3 per quintal, according to the mode in which it is 
cured, and the quality. But this article is a government 
monopoly. 

Mules for burthen, $50; for the saddle, from $150 to 
300. 

Horned cattle, in the plains, $2— are frequently killed 
for the hides and tallow. 

Hides, in the plains, $1.20. 

Cacao of Caracas, better than that of the islands. 

Coffee do. Blandin's enjoys the highest reputation. 

Sugar. 



APPENDIX. 303 

Indigo, the best in Guatemala. 

Salt, in great quantities in the neighbourhood of Valen- 
cia. A mountain of salt at Zipaquira, five leagues from 
Bogota. 

Among other valuable productions are — 

Cotton, planted every year, or every two or three years. 
By the present mode of cleaning it in Colombia, one per- 
son can only separate 25 lbs. from its seed in a day. 

Cochineal, Brazil and Nicaragua woods, fustic, iron- 
wood, used for nuts to express the juice from the cane ; 
beautiful woods for. cabinet work, viz. chacaranday, cedar, 
black, yellow, and red ebony; mahogany, not so good as 
that of St. Domingo; rose-wood, and abundance of ship- 
timber. 

Gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, pearls. 

Gum guaiacum in the province of Caracas, resins, bal- 
sams, oils; medicinal plants, as sassafras, liquorice, squills, 
storax, cassia, guyac, aloes, quina, ginger, and sarsaparilla, 
in great abundance. 

Vegetable wax, from Velez, in the province of Socorro, 
and on the Rio Negro, in Antioquia, at $12 per quintal. 
This wax is obtained from the seed of a species of laurel. 
The fruit is greenish-yellow, about the size of a small olive; 
when boiled it yields a green, wax-like substance, which 
may be bleached. Candles, made of this wax, are very 
generally used in the country churches. The plant grows 
on very high lands, in a temperature from 67° to 77°, Fahr. 

Pita and Coquisse, hemp-like fibres obtained from the 
Marichi tree, and Agave Americana, destined, at some 
future day, if I am not mistaken, to constitute one of the 
staples of Colombia. 



V- 



